Shattered Dreams
by BBT78
Summary: Two years ago Penny's life changed forever when she landed her dream acting job. Now at the mercy of her manipulative and violent husband the dream has turned into a living nightmare….a nightmare in which Leonard may pay the ultimate price. This story begins in the present and will then flash back over the preceding two years. Warning rated T for domestic violence/language.
1. Chapter 1

Penny stared sadly out of the car window at the smiling and cheering faces of the crowds of people that lined the sidewalk. She knew that many would have been waiting in line for hours, maybe even days all for the chance of a momentary glimpse of their favourite actor or actress as they arrived to make their red carpet entrance at that evening's prestigious awards ceremony. Sat beside her on the backseat of the limo was her husband, Brett Harrison one of the most successful casting directors in Hollywood. Two years ago she had worshiped the ground that he walked on, now she saw him as nothing more than a bully and her tormenter.

"Couldn't you at least have worn something a little less revealing?" he commented

The silk stole that Penny wore over her evening gown had slipped from her shoulders revealing the bruises on her arms that were still partially visible. Choosing to ignore her husband's comment Penny continued to stare out of the window, the constant blinding flashes from the thousands of camera's was beginning to hurt her eyes.

"Did you hear me Penelope?" he repeated prodding her bruised arm causing her to wince in pain

"Why are you afraid people will find out that you get off using your wife as a punch bag?" Penny snapped back unable to hold her tongue any longer

"Don't you dare speak to me like that" Brett yelled causing Penny to flinch "Or have you forgotten already what happened the last time you took that tone with me?" he added with a sadistic smile

Penny immediately quietened. There was no way she could risk another beating when she got home that night. Not now that she was carrying a baby. Leonard's baby. Thinking back to the time before she had met Brett, there had been many occasions on her days off work when she had watched daytime TV chat shows that featured women tearfully recalling how they suffered years of abuse and the hands of their partners. She remembered then wondering why they just didn't pack a suitcase and get the hell away from them, that's what she would do in their position for sure. That was at least until it happened to her. Now Penny lived in fear of what each new day would hold when he was around, but above all she felt so desperately alone. So much so that a few months back she had even contemplated taking her own life. That was until she came across the preserved snowflake from the North Pole that Leonard had once given her and realised that despite the fact they were no longer together, how utterly heartbroken he would be.

"Look at all these people that have come to see you Penelope" Brett said as he gazed out his side of the window "I wonder if they would bother if they knew you for the dirty tramp that you are…"

Penny could feel tears burning in her eyes, but there was no way she was going to give her husband the satisfaction of making her cry and ruining her entrance. Just then her cell phone beeped in her purse indicating that she had received a text message, taking it out of her clutch purse she saw that the message was from Sheldon, Leonard's roommate and colleague. As Penny read the words on the screen it felt as though her heart literally stopped beating.

'_Penny Leonard's been hurt in an accident. Please come to the Huntington Memorial Hospital I need you here. S.'_

Turning her head Penny stared at her husband and narrowed her eyes. She knew beyond doubt that this was his doing and although Sheldon hadn't given any indication of the severity of Leonard's injuries, somehow she could sense that it was serious. Three weeks ago Brett had given her his word that if she came home to him that no harm would come to Leonard. It was emotional blackmail pure and simple, but Penny would rather sacrifice her own life than put Leonard in danger. It was only after returning home to her husband that she had discovered that she was pregnant, a fact which neither her husband nor Leonard were yet aware. Earlier that evening while Penny had been taking a shower Brett had made the phone call which had ultimately sealed Leonard's fate. After checking that there was no possibility of his wife overhearing, Brett had taken out his cell phone and called one of his many contacts.

"_Hi Wayne it's me" _he had said_ "You know that thing we discussed earlier? Well I want you to take care of it tonight…see that's it done ok?"_

That evening as Leonard and Sheldon were leaving work and were walking towards Leonard's car in the parking lot at Caltech University a car heading right at them had come out of nowhere at speed. Leonard had been the first to spot it and had managed to push Sheldon to safety, but it was too late to save himself. Blinded by the brightness of the headlights he had momentarily shielded his eyes whilst preparing himself for an impact. Seconds later there was the sound of a blood curdling thud as the car hit Leonard full on flipping him onto the hood and shattering the windshield before rolling back down and hitting the ground. In a split second the car had driven off leaving Leonard critically injured and Sheldon crying out for help to anyone who could hear.

"What is it Penelope? You look like you've just gotten some bad news…." Brett said with a smile filled with malice.

"You unimaginable bastard" Penny breathed she had never hated anyone as much as she hated her husband at that moment.

Looking around her she could see that the car in which she was riding was in a line of limos edging towards the entrance of the awards ceremony venue, even if she could convince the driver to take her to the hospital which was unlikely with her husband sat in the car, they were totally boxed in. The adrenaline kicked in and without further hesitation Penny reached for the car door handle and opened it.

"Where the hell do you think you're going?" Brett demanded and lurched forward to try and grab his wife by the arm

Leaping from the car Penny managed to slam the door on his arm. She could hear his cries of pain as she made her escape, climbing over the barrier on the sidewalk and pushing her way through the crowds towards the road. All around her she could hear her name being called and was blinded by the constant flashes of the cameras as they photographed her. Running out into the traffic Penny had only one thought in her mind, to get to the hospital, to get to the man that she loved. As she darted recklessly out into four lanes of traffic her silk midnight blue evening gown and the jewellery that she wore shimmered in the glow of the oncoming headlights. All around her she could hear the screeching of brakes and the sound of horns being sounded angrily as cars narrowly avoided hitting her. Seeing a car stopped immediately in front of her Penny yanked open the passenger door and slid in.

"Hey lady are you crazy? What the hell do you think you're doing?" the male driver demanded angrily

"I want you to take me to the Huntington Memorial Hospital in Pasadena" Penny panted her heart was pounding so hard she thought it might explode in her chest.

"I aint no chauffeur l, I don't have to take you anywhere lady" the driver responded to his uninvited passenger

Aware that she didn't even have a dime in loose change in her clutch purse, Penny took off the diamond necklace that hung around her neck and forced it into the man's right hand.

"Here these are real diamonds worth thousands of dollars" she told him "Now will you take me?" she pleaded

The man looked at the necklace in his hand

"Hell yeah" he said "I'll drive you all the way to Alaska if you want …"

Hitting the accelerator he performed an illegal U-turn in the road following the sign that was directing them towards Pasadena.

"Please hurry!" Penny cried finally allowing her tears to flow

It seemed like an eternity had gone by before Penny finally arrived at the hospital. Jumping from the car she ran towards the entrance of the ER, kicking of her high heel shoes that were only slowing her down as she went and letting her silk stole fall to the ground un-retrieved. Once inside all around people stopped to stare at the stunningly beautiful woman in a designer gown and there were many gasps as she was recognised. Dozens of cell phones were held up in out stretched arms as they sought to photograph and video the Hollywood actress. Penny knew that it would only be a matter of minutes before the pictures were all over the Internet and that by morning they would be in the newspapers, but she didn't care. Nothing but Leonard mattered anymore. Looking around her she caught sight of Sheldon sat with Amy. Howard, Bernadette and Raj were there also huddled in a group. Barging through the crowd that had gathered around her Penny rushed over to her friends.

"Where is he?" she demanded "Where's Leonard?"

Sheldon appeared to be in a catatonic state and unable to respond to the question. It was Howard that answered.

"He's in there" he said nodding his head in the direction of a room with the words 'Trauma Room 1' in red lettering on a frosted glass door.

"But Penny you can't go in there…."

Not even registering Howard's words Penny pushed open the door to be greeted with a scene that resembled something from a disaster movie. There surrounded by medical staff wearing surgical gowns and safety glasses lay Leonard. Were it not for the electronic beeping from the heart monitor Penny would have sworn that he was dead, he looked so pale and lifeless. His t-shirt had been cut away to reveal his bare chest which now had electrodes attached to it. A nurse stood at the head of the gurney was administering oxygen with an ambu bag.

"Leonard" Penny's voice came out as a barely audible whisper, looking up one of the staff noticed her presence in the room.

"Mam you can't be in here" he said firmly "You need to leave"

Penny shook her head; there was no way on God's earth she was leaving now. At that moment the monitor alarm sounded.

"He's arresting" one of the nurses reported as she watched the pattern of waves changing on the heart monitor "Let's start chest compressions…"

"Oh God no please no" Penny breathed still unable to raise her voice above the sound of a whisper

At that moment the door to the room opened and a photographer burst in pushing his camera right up into Penny's face, behind him stood a female colleague who began to fire off questions.

"Are the rumours of an affair true Mrs Harrison? Is this the man you've been having an affair with?" she pressed

Penny heard a voice shout out for somebody to call security, followed by something that sounded like _'get the hell out of my ER'_, but the room was now spinning uncontrollably and the voices were indistinct as though she were underwater. A second later Penny's legs gave way sending her collapsing onto the floor. Delighted by the dramatic turn of events, the photographer continued to take pictures of a now unconscious Penny sprawled on the floor in her dress knowing full well that these photos would be far more valuable on the black market than any number of red carpet shots. Feeling a firm hand on his shoulder the photographer turned around to be faced with a slim but far taller man who grabbed the camera from his hand and threw it to the floor shattering it into a thousand pieces. It was Sheldon. Leonard was his best friend and he knew that he would want him to take care of Penny in circumstances such as these where was unable to protect her himself.

"Get away from her!" he yelled with fire in his eyes

Two security guards entered and forcibly removed the photographer and the woman. Sheldon could only watch in total despair as the ER staff battled to revive his friend.

"Ok preparing to shock" a physician announced as he held the defibrillator paddles in his hands

Sheldon closed his eyes and for the first time in his life without coercion from his mother he prayed….


	2. Chapter 2

**Two years ago…..**

Leonard had been anxiously pacing the floor of Penny's apartment for hours and hours. It was now gone midnight and despite the fact that her shift at the Cheesecake Factory had been due to finish at 4pm Penny still wasn't home. Unable to reach her on her cell phone Leonard had called the restaurant only to be told that she had left work on time. Racked with images of his girlfriend being cut out of a car wreck or succumbing to the attacker that had attacked and injured several women in the area over the last few weeks, Leonard had headed out in his car to search for her. Having combed the streets of Pasadena for a couple of hours and checked in a number of bars where Penny often hung out, he had finally called the emergency room of the local hospital and then the police. The police however had been unsympathetic towards Leonard's concerns and had made him feel like he was an overreacting time waster.

"I'm sorry Sir but if we went out searching for every girlfriend that didn't come home on a Saturday night we wouldn't have enough officers to get on with dealing with the _real_ crimes in this city…." he had been told in an irritated tone by the officer that had answered the phone.

Hearing the key turning in the lock Leonard stiffened, the door opened to reveal his girlfriend still in her waitress uniform and judging from her apparent swaying and unsteadiness she had been drinking.

"Penny where the hell have you been?" Leonard angrily demanded

Oblivious to her boyfriend's anger and the late hour Penny dropped her bag onto the floor and smiled.

"You'll never guess Leonard but the most _AMAZING_ thing has happened" she announced and flopped down onto the couch kicking off her flats "Come sit down with me"

Penny patted the empty space on the couch and motioned for Leonard to join her

"Are you drunk?" Leonard asked as he sat down he could smell wine on her breath "Please tell me you didn't drive home like that"

Penny frowned and tutted

"Oh Leonard you should know me better than that…."

Even her boyfriend's accusation of drunk driving couldn't dampen the ecstatic mood she was in that night.

"For your information I was driven home in a limo" she stated proudly "Yeah that's right a _limo_" Penny repeated and buried her head in a pillow to stifle her giggles.

"Right that's it I'm putting you to bed" Leonard said becoming increasingly annoyed with his girlfriend's behaviour and lack of an apology. It was obvious that she had been out enjoying herself all evening and hadn't even had the decency to call and let him know that she wouldn't be home.

"Ohhh" Penny groaned like a child that had just been told off "I don't wanna go to bed…I'm far to excited!…"

Leonard gave an irritated sigh

"Penny I'm really mad at you. I've been waiting here and out looking for you all night….I've even called the hospital and the police because I thought something had happened to you…"

Penny stared at Leonard with a puzzled look. She had completely forgotten that they had planned to spend the evening together and due to the fact that the battery on her cell phone had died she hadn't received any of his numerous calls. Looking at her wrist watch she was shocked to discover it was now gone midnight, for her the evening had passed by all to quickly, even now she still felt as though she was floating on blissful cloud.

"You know what you put yourself to bed I'm done" Leonard barked and leapt up from the couch and headed towards the door

"Don't you wanna know where I've been?" Penny asked as Leonard reached the door to her apartment

Leonard was so mad he wasn't even sure that he cared anymore. His guess would be that Penny had probably spent the night at a bar with her friends and had managed to sweet talk some rich guy into giving her a lift home in his limo, assuming the part about the limo was even true.

"I have been at Brett Harrison's house in Beverley Hills" Penny said matter of factly, as though it was the sort of thing that happened all the time.

Leonard who still had one hand on the door handle turned around slowly

"Brett Harrison the Hollywood casting director?" he questioned still suspecting that this could be Penny's idea of a practical joke.

"He came into the restaurant today for lunch and I waited on him. I happened to mention that I was an actress….and then when I was leaving work this afternoon there was a car waiting for me in the parking lot to take me to his house"

By now Leonard had let go of the door handle and had wandered back over to the couch, he sat down and Penny listened as Penny continued to speak.

"My God you should have seen where he lives Leonard, he has the most incredible house ever…." Penny said with a faraway look in her eyes, for her living in a house like that would be like a dream come true.

Penny began to recall how she had been driven to Brett Harrison's house and upon arriving had been told by his personal assistant that Mr. Harrison was taking a swim in the pool….

**Earlier that day….**

"Ok Penny just stay cool you can do this" Penny told herself as she made her way across the perfectly manicured lawn towards the swimming pool that glistened in the rays of the late afternoon sunshine.

As she got closer Brett Harrison swam to the edge of the pool hauled himself out of the water with ease and begin to dry off with a towel. She had to admit for a man in his late forties he was in incredibly good shape, sporting a tanned and toned physique of which a lot younger men would be envious. By the time Penny stepped off the grass and onto the tiles surrounding the pool Brett had slipped on a pair of sun shades and had lain own on a sun lounger.

Straightening her uniform Penny cleared her throat before speaking

"Mr Harrison?" she said

"Hmm?"

"It's Penny from the Cheese Cake Factory you said you wanted to speak to me"

Penny waited patiently for Brett to speak. Feeling completely incongruous standing at the pool side of one of Hollywood's most famous directors in her uniform she wished she had had another outfit in which she could have changed into. In an attempt to abate her sense of increasing awkwardness Penny decided to try and break the ice with some small talk.

"You have a beautiful house Sir it's very impressive"

Still nothing . She was beginning to wonder if he had fallen asleep beneath his sunglasses.

"So I'm kinda wondering why you've asked me here Mr Harrison" Penny continued

"Brett. You can call me Brett"

Penny could feel herself rapidly losing her composure. Whilst riding in the back of the car she had tried to anticipate what Brett Harrison was going to say to her and had rehearsed a few lines that she had hoped would impress, but now meeting him in quiet literally in the flesh for the second time that day, her mind was a total blank.

"Why don't you take a seat" Brett said and signalled at the empty sun lounger, nervously Penny sat down.

"I'll get to the point Penny I have proposition for you"

Brett sat up and poured himself an orange juice from a pitcher and offered a glass to Penny, she accepted gratefully her mouth felt as dry as the Nevada desert.

"I'm about to start shooting a movie in a few weeks in Paris. I can fill you in later on the details, but the long and short of it is that I've had someone pull out and I'd like to give you the opportunity to audition for me on Monday"

Penny was sipping on her orange juice when she heard Brett Harrison say the word 'audition' the sheer shock caused her to choke and splutter sending a spray of orange juice shooting from her mouth.

"Are you ok Penny?" Brett asked passing Penny a napkin to dry her mouth

"Yes…yes thank…did you say audition for YOU?"

"It's not the lead role but it will definitely be an improvement on what is it?"

Brett picked up the piece of paper that was lying on the table beside the pitcher of orange juice, he had printed off a copy Penny's acting resume from the Internet. Penny blushed as Brett went on to read aloud.

"A haemorrhoid commercial and stage productions of The Diary of Anne Frank and A Streetcar Named Desire"

Penny had to resist the urge to pinch herself to check she wasn't dreaming and for a moment she looked around at her surroundings half expecting a camera crew to jump out from behind the bushes announcing that she had been the victim of a TV prank.

"Please don't take this the wrong way Sir but is this some kind of joke?" she asked

"Oh I never joke about business Penny" Brett replied coolly

Sitting up again and slipping off his sun glasses Brett looked directly at Penny, he had the most piercingly gorgeous blue eyes she had ever seen.

"Look Penny I'm gonna be honest with you when we met today you impressed me. You're obviously passionate about acting, but so far haven't had the break that you need. I know what it's like trying to make it in this town only to constantly have doors slammed in your face. I can see that you have lots of drive and ambition and I like that and you also kinda remind me of myself when I was starting out in this business… Anyway, I figured perhaps it was time that you got a break, so why don't you audition for me and show me what you can do?"

Penny felt her heart skip a beat . The shock was starting to make her feel weak and light headed.

"So will that be a yes then?" Brett pressed after waiting a few seconds for a response

"My God I think I'm gonna faint" Penny panted it felt like all the blood was rushing away from her head and down to her feet.

"Here put your head between your knees" Brett said as he placed his hand on the small of her back and gently pushed her head down "Now take deep breaths in and out"

Penny did as she was instructed and a minute later was starting to feel better.

"I'm so sorry Mr. Harrison that has never happened before…." Penny said feeling highly embarrassed that she almost fainted in the company of Brett Harrison.

Later when she recalled the story of this meeting she would be certain to omit that particular detail. Brett asked her when she had last eaten to which she replied that it had been at breakfast. The restaurant had been so busy that day she hadn't had the opportunity to take her break.

"So we need to get you something to eat, why don't you join me for dinner?" Brett suggested casually

"Really? Dinner here with you?"

"Sure why not?"

Penny flashed a happy smile, this was turning out to be the most surreal and yet totally awesome day of her life.

"Yes thank you I'd like that" she answered

"Good I'll call my housekeeper and let her know" Brett said picking up his cell phone "But first I don't think you answered my question about auditioning?"

As if he really had to ask. This was the opportunity Penny had been waiting for since she had moved to LA all those years ago and now at last it seemed her dream was within her grasp. Trying her best to suppress the squeals of delight that were bubbling up inside her she nodded her head vigorously and in doing so changed her life forever.

"Sure I'd love too"


	3. Chapter 3

Monday morning came and went. Penny attended the audition and gave it her best shot. It was now early evening and she was waiting anxiously for the call from her agent that had the potential to launch her acting career and change her life forever.

"Please call please call" Penny begged as she stared in anguish at her cell phone in her right hand while simultaneously drumming her fingers of her left hand impatiently on the kitchen counter. She had just taken another large swig of wine when she heard Leonard letting himself into her apartment.

"Hi honey have you heard anything yet?" he asked

Penny had called him at work as soon as she had left the audition, although truthfully she had no idea how she had done, frustratingly the casting panel had not given any indication as to whether she was in with a chance of being given the part.

"Not yet" Penny answered the waiting was becoming agonising

Just then Penny's cell phone began to ring, looking at the screen she saw that it was Steve her agent calling. With lightning speed she answered.

"Hi Steve" Penny said and then held her breath as she waited for Steve to deliver the news

"So how's my favourite movie star?" Steve asked from the sound of his voice Penny could tell that he was smiling at the other end of the line

"Oh my God!" Penny squealed "Did I…did I…."

"You sure did honey" Steve responded "This is it kido the one you've been waiting for!"

With that Penny let out a piercing scream deafening both Steve and Leonard

"I can't believe it!" Penny exclaimed stamping her feet with and doing an excited dance around the apartment punching the air with her free hand.

"Well believe it honey because this time it _really is_ happening"

Penny flopped down onto the couch beside Leonard who reached for her hand and kissed it and mouthed the word 'congratulations' to her.

"Listen Penny I've had a call from Brett Harrison's office, they want you out in Paris by Friday" Steve told her

Penny was totally taken aback, she had known that she would have to leave soon, but Friday was only four days away. Gazing at her boyfriend sat beside her she felt her heart lurch; being apart for a long period of time wasn't going to be easy, particularly if the summer they had spent apart when Leonard went on a science expedition to the North Sea was anything to go by. She had missed him so much her heart had literally ached for the four months that he was gone.

"Friday? As in this Friday?" Penny said unable to contain her surprise

"Uh huh a car will come pick you up Thursday morning to take you to the airport and you'll probably gonna be on location in Paris for a couple of months maybe three" he explained "I will call you back tomorrow when I have all the details…."

Penny thanked Steve emphatically for all his help and encouragement over the years and then finally hung up the phone to hug Leonard.

"I'm so proud of you" he whispered sincerely kissing the top of her head "You so deserve this Penny"

For a long while they embraced and then Penny shared the news about needing to leave for Paris on Thursday. Despite Leonard's best efforts to hide it, Penny detected that he was shocked and upset to learn that she would be leaving so soon.

"We can call and Skype each other every day" Penny assured him "I bet three will go quicker than you think…"

The next couple of days for Penny were spent packing and saying her goodbyes to her friends and her colleagues at the Cheesecake Factory. Although she had never been particularly fond of her job, she had to admit that when she went to hand in her notice she did feel a slight tinge of sadness. It was the end of an era; never again would she be serving Sheldon his cheese burger on a Tuesday evening while overhearing their geeky chatter about the latest comic book or Star Trek movie. Now it was the night before Penny was due to depart and all seven friends were gathered in apartment 4A for a farewell party.

"So tell us about the movie Penny" Bernadette said as she helped herself to the hors d'oeuvres that Raj had prepared for the occasion.

Penny explained that the movie was set during the German occupation of France during World War II. During that period most of the Paris fashion houses had closed down, the movie was about an American girl and her friend, the part which Penny was to play, who continued to work at the only remaining fashion house in Paris.

"Wow its sounds amazing Penny I'd love to go to Paris… it would be so romantic" Amy sighed and gazed longingly at Sheldon who as always failed to pick up on the not so subtle hint that his girlfriend was dropping.

"I'd like to propose a toast" Leonard announced raising his glass "Please join me in wishing Penny success in her new found career in Paris"

"Break a leg Penny!" everyone chanted in unison

That night Leonard stayed with Penny in her apartment, waking several times throughout the night to make love to her. Morning dawned all too soon and Penny found herself rushing around the apartment doing last minute checks to ensure that she hadn't forgotten to pack anything vital. Just before 7am Penny's cell phone rang, it was the driver that was taking her to the airport informing her that he was downstairs waiting for her.

Penny took a deep breath

"Well I guess this is it" she said her eyes now filling with tears

The couple descended the three flights of stairs to the lobby in silence and stepped out into the street to the waiting car. The driver got out to put Penny's suitcase into the trunk for the short drive to the airport.

"You promise you'll call me as soon as you get there?" Leonard repeated he had already reminded her twice that morning

"I promise" Penny answered

For a moment they stood and stared lovingly at each other before Penny pulled Leonard into a hug.

"I love you Leonard" she whispered into his ear

"I love you too" Leonard responded "You go show them what a star you are!"

They kissed once more before finally pulling away from each other

"Bye!" Penny called as she waved madly and blew kisses from the open window of the car

Leonard stood on the sidewalk sadly watching Penny's car pull into the early morning traffic and seconds later disappear round the corner and out of sight. He already had an aching feeling in his chest which he immediately put down to the thought of being separated for the girl he loved by thousands of miles. As Leonard climbed the stairs back to his apartment he had the overwhelming sense that what was bothering him was something more than simply missing Penny. By the time he reached his door he had realised what it was. It was fear. Fear of losing Penny to the glitz and the glamour of the world she was about to enter into. A world where Leonard knew he could never fit in….


	4. Chapter 4

It was the early hours of the morning when Penny's flight landed in Paris. After passing through immigration she was met by a driver who drove her to an apartment in the Trocadero district of Paris which would be her home for the next three months.

"Try to get some sleep someone will come by to pick you up at 12pm to take you to your meeting" the driver told her "There is food in the refrigerator if you are hungry, but a maid will come and service the apartment tomorrow if there is anything else you need"

Penny looked around in wonder at the beautifully appointed art deco style apartment, it by far exceeded any expectations she had had before arriving. She hadn't even had her first day on set yet and already she felt like a movie star. Stepping out onto her bedroom balcony Penny breathed in the cool night air. The view was breath taking, she could see the Eiffel Tower lit up in all its splendour and could hear the distant sound of the Parisian traffic in the street below. The exhaustion from her long journey coupled with the sheer exhilaration of being in Paris brought tears to her eyes once more.

"Are you ok Mademoiselle?" her driver asked noticing a single tear roll down Penny's cheek

"Yes I'm fine I'm just so happy" Penny answered smiling through her tears "I still can't believe this is all happening to me…."

After the driver left Penny decided to take a quick shower and slip into her nightdress before calling Leonard. It was 3am in Paris which meant it would be 6pm in Pasadena.

"Hi Leonard" Penny said sleepily

"Hi honey or should I say bonjour ma Cherie?"

Penny giggled at Leonard's attempt at speaking in French and then went on to tell him about how amazing the apartment she had been allocated was. Leonard made her promise to take some photos in the morning on her cell phone and text them to him.

"You sound tired Penny" Leonard said he could hear Penny yawning at the other end of the line

"Yeah I feel like I could sleep for a month" she replied with all the excitement she had barely slept a wink on the airplane.

"Well I'd better let you get some rest honey"

"I'll call you tomorrow after my meeting" Penny promised

"I love you Penny" Leonard whispered they hadn't even been apart a whole day yet and already he missed her terribly.

"Love you too"

The next day Leonard was anticipating a call from Penny around breakfast time. Throughout the morning he kept checking his phone and was disappointed when she didn't call. It wasn't until late Friday night while he Sheldon and Amy were watching the latest Star Trek movie on DVD that Penny finally called.

"Wow its like 7am on Saturday in Paris you're up early aren't you?" Leonard commented as he looked at his wrist watch, Penny wasn't normally an early riser especially at the weekends.

"Brett's taking me for breakfast at The Ritz" Penny answered excitedly "And then we're going to the Louvre Museum to see the Mona Lisa"

"Oh so you're on first name terms now then" Leonard said hoping that Penny wouldn't pick up on the note of jealousy in his voice; luckily she was too excited to notice.

"He's such an amazing person Leonard" Penny began and Leonard noted to himself how often Penny seemed to be using the word _'amazing'_ now whenever she talked about being in Paris or Brett Harrison.

"I bet he is" Leonard responded unenthusiastically

There was a buzzing sound which Penny said was the apartment's doorbell

"Oh that's probably him now" Penny began "Gotta go say hi to everyone and give Sheldon a big sloppy kiss from me!" she joked

Before Leonard had the opportunity to say goodbye Penny had hung up and the line went dead.

"So how's my bestie getting along in gay Pah-ree?" Amy asked putting on a French accent

"_Amazingly_ it would seem" Leonard responded emphasising the word 'amazingly' "She's going to the Louvre Museum with Brett Harrison"

They settled back into watching the movie. Leonard slouched in the armchair resting his head on his hand finding now that he was no longer able to concentrate on what was happening on the screen.

"Leonard" Sheldon began

"Yeah?"

"Does it bother you that your girlfriend is seemingly having the time of her life in what is said to be the most romantic city in the world?"

"No why?" Leonard answered without taking his eyes off the TV screen

"Oh no reason"

Leonard sighed

"I trust Penny ….I'm sure I have absolutely nothing to worry about, besides she's there to work.." Leonard said confidently but secretly was trying to convince himself that he had nothing to fear.

"Yes you're probably right Leonard" Sheldon concurred "You know I read today that Brett Harrison has been divorced for almost a year, which according to some means he must be on the lookout for a new wife…."

Brett Harrison's divorce the previous year to a top model had been widely reported in the media. It had been his third marriage and it was no secret that it had ended acrimoniously.

"Since when have you been interested in celebrity gossip Sheldon?" Leonard asked turning towards his friend with raised eyebrows and his arms folded across his chest.

It was a perfectly valid question given that Sheldon had berated Penny on many occasions for the interest she showed in the lives of celebrities, something which Sheldon found both pointless and banal. Earlier that day whilst taking Penny's mail over to her apartment, Sheldon had felt compelled to do some tidying, it was then that he had noticed the magazine with a feature on Brett Harrison. He hadn't bothered to read the entire article, but the caption seemed to be speculating that he was on the lookout for wife no. 4.

Sheldon shrugged

"As he's now Penny's work colleague I thought it might be something that would be of interest to you Leonard….I know Penny likes to fill you in on all the gossip from the Cheesecake Factory…."

There was at least some logic to Sheldon's statement, it was certainly true that for all her many good qualities Penny was partial to gossiping. Leonard had spent many an evening having his ear chewed off by her furnishing him with the personal details of the lives of Kim and Nancy who waitressed at the restaurant.

"Well thank you very much for enlightening me Sheldon" Leonard said his voice dripping with sarcasm

"You're welcome Leonard" Sheldon responded

Even after years of trying to master it, Sheldon still failed to pick up on sarcasm even when it was downright obvious.

"I think I'm gonna go to bed" Leonard muttered as he got to his feet

Saying goodnight he headed off in the direction of his bedroom and collapsed onto the bed fully clothed.

"I miss you Penny" he said out loud as he stroked the photo of Penny that he kept beside his bed.

Closing his eyes he fell asleep and into vivid dreams of her. In one dream he was walking along a river, which owing to the appearance of a clichéd image of a Frenchman wearing a beret and a string of onions around his neck, Leonard figured it to be the River Seine in Paris. Penny was in front and no matter how hard he tried he found it impossible to keep pace with her. Eventually she strode far ahead and then disappeared out of sight completely.

When Leonard awoke the following morning he felt exhausted and wanted nothing more than to roll over and go right back to sleep. Regretfully however he recalled promising to drive Sheldon to the train store and then to the Glendale galleria for new sheets. Tumbling out of bed and slipping on his bathrobe Leonard yawned as he made his way out to the kitchen to make breakfast. As usual Sheldon was already awake and seated in his spot on the couch having woken early to watch his regular Saturday morning episode of Dr. Who. on BBC America.

"Morning Leonard" Sheldon chirped

"Morning" Leonard responded and yawned again as he poured himself and extra strong cup of coffee

Looking over at his desk Leonard noticed a folded piece of paper resting on top of his laptop keyboard.

"What's that?" he asked pointing at the paper

"Why don't you take a look" Sheldon suggested

Putting down his coffee Leonard wandered over to his desk picked up the piece of paper and began to read. It was a flight confirmation for a return ticket from LA to Paris Charles de Gaulle in one month's time.

"Amy and I got talking after you went to bed last night and we thought seeing as you miss Penny so much perhaps it would help if you could go visit her for a few days…."

Leonard was truly touched and admittedly surprised by his friend's kind gesture.

"Amy pointed out to me that although it's specified in our roommate agreement I shouldn't take all the stuff that you do for me for granted, and that this might be a way of showing my appreciation…."

"Sheldon I don't know what to say ….thank you so much this is great" Leonard said smiling for the first time since Penny had left.

So overwhelmed was he Leonard stepped forward to hug his friend but Sheldon backed away.

"Oh I think a hearty handshake will suffice as a thank you Leonard" Sheldon said

The two friends shook hands.

"So are you gonna call Penny and tell her your good news?" Sheldon asked as he continued to eat his cereal

"Actually I think I might just shock her by turning up unannounced…." Leonard answered with a glint of mischievousness in his eyes as he began to day dream about spending time in world's most romantic city with his beautiful girlfriend.

Little did he know then that the shock in Paris to come was to be on him…..


	5. Chapter 5

"Are you ok young man? You seem a little nervous?" an old lady with a French accent seated beside Leonard on the airplane asked

Leonard looked around from his window seat where he had been watching the luggage rolling along a conveyor belt and being loaded into the hold below.

"Yes I'm fine thanks" he replied with a smile "I'm on my way to see my girlfriend she's working in Paris right now… she doesn't know that I 'm coming so I guess I'm a bit nervous…."

"You're surprising her? C'est tres_ romantique_" the woman said patting Leonard's arm "She must be very special"

"Yes Mam, she's the best" Leonard answered as he pictured Penny in his mind's eye

Minutes later the flight attendants began to deliver the inflight safety briefing while the airplane taxied towards the runway. As the jet engines roared and the airplane lurched forward picking up speed as it hurtled along the runway, Leonard felt a rush of exhilaration as he realised that in a little over twelve hours' time he would be reunited with Penny. As soon as the airplane landed in Paris Leonard collected his luggage from the carousel and headed to the taxi rank outside the airport to take a taxi directly to the studio. After eventually managing to persuade the security that he was Penny's boyfriend he was escorted along to her dressing room. The security guard knocked twice all the while still eyeing him suspiciously.

"It's open" he heard Penny call out

The door was pushed open and Leonard's eyes were immediately drawn to Penny sat on a couch going over her lines, dressed in a 1940's style navy blue pencil skirt, silk cream blouse and a beret percher style hat with tiny flowers.

"Excuse me Miss I have someone here to see you, he says his name's Leonard"

Penny looked up to see her boyfriend stood nervously in the doorway.

"Leonard oh my God what are you doing here?" Penny screamed in delight jumping to her feet and throwing her arms around him.

It was exactly the sort of welcome Leonard had been dreaming of ever since the moment Sheldon had given him the ticket, it made all the weeks of waiting worthwhile.

"Sheldon and Amy brought me a ticket so I could come out here and surprise you" Leonard explained completely taken aback by how beautiful Penny looked in her costume.

Discretely the security guard closed the door and left the reunited couple to be alone.

"My God look at you Penny you look stunning" Leonard said several minutes later after they eventually finished kissing and hugging each other hello.

"Thanks the 1940s look really suits me doesn't it?" Penny added touching the tiny forget-me-not flowers on her hat

"It sure does honey"

Leonard sat down on the couch and motioned for Penny to come sit on his lap. Sitting down Penny put her arms around his neck and pressed her lips to his again. As Leonard run his hand up her thigh beneath her skirt he was excited to realise that she was wearing silk stockings.

"Leonard we can't I'm due on set any minute…." Penny protested "You're gonna have to wait a little longer…"

Leonard groaned and choosing to ignore her protests continued to caress Penny's neck where he knew she loved to be kissed.

"Maybe you can wait but I don't think I can…." he breathed into her ear in a husky voice

Penny wanted nothing more than for Leonard to make love to her right there and then, but she was due back on set and still had several scenes to get through that day before she could go home. Disentangling herself from her boyfriend's arms she stood up and straightened her clothes.

"Why don't you stick around and watch us do some filming?" she said stroking Leonard's chest "Then afterwards we can head back to my apartment and…."

She didn't need to finish her sentence the sexy and mischievous sparkle in her eyes told Leonard all that he needed to know about her plans for later.

"And what?" Leonard teased

"And I'll let you show me just how much you've missed me" Penny answered flashing Leonard an enticing smile.

At that moment there was another knock on Penny's dressing room door and a voice from outside called that they were ready to start shooting Penny's scene.

"Come on" Penny coaxed taking Leonard by the hand "It will be fun!"

Leonard followed Penny out into the studio which was bustling with the activity of all the actors and production crew busily going about their work. Hand in hand they made their way onto the set through the maze of cables, cameras and bright lighting.

"Is that Brett Harrison?" asked Leonard eyeing Brett a short distance away giving direction to another actor.

"Sure is come on I'll introduce you"

As they approached Brett turned around greeted Penny with a smile.

"Hi Penny we're ready for you now" he told her

"Brett I'd like you to meet someone this is my boyfriend Dr. Leonard Hofstadter"

Leonard stuck out his hand to shake Brett's hand.

"It's great to meet you Sir I'm a big fan of your work" he said sincerely

As they shook hands Leonard was concerned to see what he interpreted as a look of disapproval from Brett, but after a few seconds Brett returned his smile and his demeanour towards Leonard seemingly changed to become more welcoming.

"Hi Leonard nice to meet you too, you'll have to excuse me we've very busy here" he said "But feel free to stick around and watch…."

Penny gave Leonard a quick peck on the cheek before walking out onto the set. A member of the production crew had called out 'Quiet Please People!" so Leonard hastily retreated back behind the cameras and was offered a chair and a set of headphones so he could listen in on the filming. For the next two hours he watched Penny acting out her scenes, he had seen her act before in various productions put on by her acting class and had always been impressed by her talent. However watching her now on the set of a Hollywood movie, he had to admit that her performance was completely awe inspiring; she was far more talented than he had ever realised. Finally a male voice called 'cut it's a wrap people' and filming was finished for the day. Before Leonard could make his way over to Penny he saw Brett approach her on the set and begin to converse with her. It was then he realised that Penny's microphone was still switched on so he was able to hear the conversation between her and Brett and see them on the camera monitor beside him.

"You were terrific Penny" Brett told her

"Thank you Brett I had _sooo_ much fun today" Penny replied her face beaming with pleasure

There was no doubt it was incredibly hard work and the hours were long, however the novelty of being in a movie had not by any means worn off. To Penny acting was almost like a drug that she had become addicted to, she just couldn't get enough of it.

"I'm glad, you're such a natural, and you make it look easy sweetheart…"

Brett gently touched Penny's cheek and from where he was still seated Leonard experienced a sudden surge of panic, there was something about the way Brett touched and looked at Penny that made him feel incredibly uneasy.

"If you don't mind I'm going to get going, I promised my boyfriend we could spend some time together this evening ,he just flew in from LA today…." Penny explained as she unpinned her hat allowing her hair to cascade down to her shoulders.

Brett cleared his throat

"Well he seems real nice Penny ….I'm just surprised you didn't mention him before…."

Hearing this Leonard felt his stomach tighten into a knot. Penny had been in Paris for a whole month now and it pained him to think that she hadn't mentioned him.

"Oh I'm sure I've mentioned Leonard to you Brett…." Penny insisted although the in truth the few times they had been out together after work they had mostly talked about the movie and Brett's career as a director.

"Well maybe I was just quietly hoping that by some miracle you hadn't been snapped up yet…." Brett continued with a grin on his face

Penny felt her face burn as she blushed a bright crimson colour and was unsure as to whether he was joking or this was his way of indicating that he was attracted to her. Seeing her blushing Brett decided to draw their exchange to a close.

"Sorry listen to me going on….. Don't let me keep you Penny, you have fun tonight" he said turning his attention back to studying the clipboard that he was holding "I'll see you tomorrow honey"

Penny couldn't help but notice that Leonard was unusually quiet as they sat holding hands in the back of the taxi on route to her apartment. He was majorly concerned and hurt by what he had heard at the studio, but didn't want to spoil the moment by bringing it up now. As soon as they stepped inside the apartment Penny pounced on Leonard pushing him down onto the couch and undoing the buttons on his shirt. In response to her advances Leonard pulled off Penny's top leaving him bare chested and her in a black lace bra.

"Let's go to the bedroom" she whispered into Leonard's ear "I have a little surprise of my own for you…."

Once inside the bedroom Leonard removed his remaining clothes and slipped under the bed covers, while Penny disappeared into the bathroom and returned wearing a black satin negligee which she had purchased at the Galeries Lafayette department store on her last day off from filming.

"I was saving this as a surprise for when I got back to Pasadena" Penny told him as she got into the bed beside him "but seeing as you are here now…."

"I do love surprises…." Leonard breathed as he pulled Penny into a deep kiss

The lovemaking was thrilling and intense. Leonard as always was a gentle and caring lover making sure that he took his time to please Penny. Teasing her was such a turn on for him; he loved to get her to the point where she couldn't bare his teasing anymore and so begged him to make love to her. Now both breathless they lay holding each other beneath the sheets.

"So what do you wanna do now?" Penny asked as drew circles on Leonard's bare chest with her finger

"Need you ask?" Leonard began to gently caress Penny's neck; he wanted nothing more than to spend the entire evening in bed with her.

"Are you hungry? I'm totally starved. I was so nervous today I couldn't eat a thing before filming" Penny said

"Yeah I guess I could eat" Leonard answered feeling slightly disappointed he had eaten on the airplane and wasn't particularly hungry.

Penny clambered out of bed and put on a matching black satin robe over her negligee

"I know this wonderful bistro about ten minutes walk from here" she told him "Brett recommended it to me…."

Leonard watched Penny as she sat down at her dressing table mirror and began to brush her long blond hair and then coughed nervously in the way he often did when he had something important he wanted to say.

"Penny what's the deal with Brett?" he asked cautiously

Leonard was keen not to spark off a fight between them on their first night together, but on the other hand the conversation he had witnessed earlier between her and Brett had really concerned him and he felt compelled to fish around for information.

"What do you mean?" Penny questioned as she continued to brush her hair

"I saw the way he looked at you at the studio today and the disapproving look he gave me….."

Leonard paused briefly and realising that he was already down the rabbit hole he decided to be honest about what he had heard.

"I overheard your conversation with Brett after you finished shooting, why didn't you tell him about me?"

Penny swivelled around on her stool to face Leonard who was still lying in her bed

"I have mentioned you before sweetie…I think Brett just forgot that's all" she answered casually "When we're together we mostly talk about work and stuff…"

Having had thoughts of Brett's possible intentions towards his girlfriend going around in his head all evening Leonard was now managed to convince himself that Penny had purposefully not mentioned him.

"Right sure" Leonard said

From the tone of Leonard's voice Penny could tell that he wasn't buying her explanation

"It's obvious he's got a thing for you Penny" Leonard added

Penny narrowed her eyes, she didn't like where the conversation seemed to be heading, and all the signs were that the green eyed monster part of Leonard's character was rearing its head once again. Having suffered from a bout of relationship insecurity when Sheldon's assistant Alex Jenson had hit on Leonard Penny was not immune to insecurity herself. However what upset her the most was that he also seemed to be implying that he didn't trust her not to be taken in by Brett's charm. The truth was as much as she admired and respected Brett, Penny saw him as nothing more than her boss and a friend.

"So? even if he does have a thing for me it doesn't mean I'm gonna do anything about it" Penny insisted and then sighed "I thought we'd been through all this before Leonard…"

It was indeed true that in the past there had been a number of occasions when Leonard's insecurity had threatened to cause a rift in their relationship, most recently when he had been convinced that a student in her history class at school had been hitting on her. Suddenly Penny began to lose both her patience and her temper with her boyfriend.

"My God you're totally unbelievable Leonard Hofstadter!" she yelled

With a face like thunder Penny stormed out of the bedroom and into the kitchen where she sat down at the breakfast bar, poured herself a glass of red wine and gulped it down. Looking up she saw Leonard enter the kitchen wearing his boxer shorts.

"Penny please I don't want to fight with you" he began and attempted to stroke Penny's arm only for her to pull away.

"I didn't start this" Penny retorted

"Honey can't you see it from my point of view?" he said gently hoping to smooth things over and rescue the evening that was rapidly in decline "This all happened so fast, one minute you're a waitress at the Cheesecake Factory and the next you're in Paris making a movie with one of Hollywood's leading directors…."

Saying the words out loud Leonard realised once more how mind blowing the situation was, his girlfriend was now a movie star. Penny took another gulp of her wine this time completely emptying the glass.

"And yet what you're really trying to say is that you don't trust me" Penny snapped her eyes flashing with anger "I suppose you're wondering if I slept with Brett Harrison to get this part…."

Leonard remained silent failing to deny Penny's accusation and so infuriating and upsetting her even further.

"My God you do think that don't you?" Penny cried

"Of course I don't" Leonard protested, but only after a period of considerable hesitation

It was too late. The fact that Leonard had hesitated was confirmation to Penny that he didn't trust her, worse still it seemed that he thought her capable of infidelity. Penny had done many things in her life which she wasn't proud of, but since entering into a relationship with Leonard she had put her promiscuous days behind her and had always remained completely true to him.

"I want you to leave Leonard" Penny said averting her eyes finding herself no longer able to look at her boyfriend "I need to be alone right now….there's a hotel at the end of the street where you can check in…."

Leonard reached forward and attempted to touch Penny on her shoulder, but once again she pushed him off.

"Please Leonard just go…" she told him abruptly

With that Leonard returned to the bedroom, dressed and reappeared a few minutes later with his suitcase his face stricken with hurt and despair.

"Penny I'll call you tomorrow so we can talk" he said in a half whisper

Penny shrugged her shoulders

"Whatever…"

Seated in the kitchen Penny listening to the sound of her apartment door closing as the man that she loved departed. Throwing herself down onto the bed she buried her head in a pillow and sobbed until she was completely exhausted and sleep eventually took her.

Across the city Brett was driving home having worked late at the studio and was smiling to himself; a cold and calculating smile. The events of that day marked the beginning of the twisted games that he would play. What had appeared to have been a chance overhearing of a conversation had in fact been carefully engineered. Brett had personally ensured that Leonard had heard every word of the conversation between him and Penny and in doing so had put into motion a chain of events that he hoped would separate her from Leonard for good….


	6. Chapter 6

When Penny showed up on set the following day it was with much relief that she discovered filming had been postponed until the following Monday whilst part of the screenplay was rewritten. As she headed back to her dressing room she heard a familiar voice calling her name, it was Cleo Valentine the actress who was playing the lead role in the movie. Glancing behind her, Penny could see Cleo bounding towards her with her long jet black hair bouncing around her shoulders and a huge smile plastered on her face.

"Hey Penny a bunch of us are going to Le Cab tonight, if you like I can add your name to the guest list" she offered "Oh and I heard that your boyfriend's in town, why don't you bring him along too?"

Le Cab was one of the most exclusive nightclubs in Paris often frequented by A-list celebrities and fashion designers.

"Oh I don't know… I think I might just stay in tonight" Penny answered as she continued in the direction of her dressing room.

Hearing her unanticipated reply Cleo caught Penny by the arm and pulled her back

"Hang on sweetie you are kidding right? We're young and in one of the most exciting and vibrant cities in the world and you want to stay in?"

Penny frowned. Ordinarily she would jump at the chance to have a night on the town, but the fight with Leonard had really knocked her for a loop and she wasn't sure she was in the mood.

"Oh please come Penny I promise we'll have a terrific time" Cleo pleaded "Its free champagne all night…."

After a moment of reflection Penny decided to relent and accept the invitation, reminding herself how Leonard had had done his fair share of partying while on a physics expedition to the North Sea the previous summer.

"Ok sure why not" she answered

"Awesome!" Cleo linked arms with Penny as they strode towards their respective dressing rooms "In that case we've got some serious shopping to do!"

That afternoon Penny headed out shopping with Cleo to the Avenue Montaigne armed with her credit card, which thanks to her new employment status was no longer being declined. However, despite the sheer thrill of being able to shop in designer stores she couldn't get her mind of Leonard and found herself continually checking her cell phone for messages or missed calls.

"That's like the tenth time you've checked your phone since we sat down sweetie are expecting an important call or something?" Cleo asked it hadn't escaped her notice that she seemed to be distracted.

The two women had just sat down at a table on the cobbled pavement outside a café and had ordered coffee and macaroons. Around their feet lay a collection of half a dozen designer shopping bags testament to their successful shopping trip.

"I thought my boyfriend would have called by now he said he was going to…" she replied

Just then two young men approached wanting Cleo's autograph and to have their photo taken with her. Penny stepped in to take the photo and wondered whether it would soon be her also getting approached in public for her autograph. The waiter arrived with a tray and placed two coffee cups on the table.

"Merci" Penny said and smiled politely at the waiter and made a mental note to leave a large tip. It was strange for her to think that only a few weeks ago it has been her serving people their coffee.

"You guys have a fight?" Cleo asked as she stirred her coffee

"How did you guess?"

"It's written all over your face honey" Cleo answered "Besides I've been there before, read the book and starred in the movie…Don't worry I'm sure when he sees you in the outfit you got today whatever it is you were fighting over will all be forgiven….."

Penny looked down at her coffee cup with a sad expression completely oblivious to Cleo's cheeky grin and found herself wishing if only it were that simple. Just then her cell phone beeped and she reached in her purse to discover a text message from Leonard.

"_Penny we need to talk can you meet me in the Champ de Mars park please in 30 minutes? L."_.

"Sorry Cleo I've gotta go" Penny announced getting to her feet and dropping a note on the table to cover her part of the cheque.

"Penny you are still coming tonight aren't you?" Cleo called after her

Dashing across the street Penny hailed a taxi and gave the name of the park where she had agreed to meet Leonard. Ten minutes later she was getting out and paying the fare to the driver when she spotted Leonard some distance away seated on a bench staring into space. Close by where there were a number of people dotted about on blankets enjoying picnics in the summer sunshine. Taking a deep breath Penny slowly made her way towards him.

"Leonard"

Taking a seat on the bench beside her boyfriend they sat in silence for some time as they watched people walking by and the occasional roller bladder and cyclist. All Penny could do was contemplate what he had in mind to say.

"So you said you wanted to talk…" Penny eventually broke the silence not able to wait any longer.

Looking at that Leonard she could see from the dark circles below his eyes that he was exhausted. Despite suffering from the effects of jet lag when he had checked into the hotel Leonard hadn't been able to sleep a wink. In the end unable he had got up before dawn to go for a walk and had spent the entire day wandering around Paris lost in his thoughts.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking….." Leonard began

"Oh?" Penny questioned her heart pounded as she became increasingly fearful of what he was about to say.

"Penny I want you to know that I'm so incredibly proud of you and what you've achieved….you've finally got your dream …I admire you so much because you never gave up…." Leonard's voice trailed off "This is the life you've dreamt of …"

Penny swallowed the lump in her throat as she foresaw that there was soon to be a 'but' in what Leonard was saying. She was right.

"But I don't think I will ever be truly comfortable with it…I feel like I'm competing with something where I have absolutely no chance of winning…." he said sadly

"So do you expect me to choose between you and my career?" Penny asked astounded that this might be the case, but Leonard was quick to jump in and set the record straight.

"No I would never do that" he insisted "You've worked so hard to get here…."

Penny's eyes brimmed with sorrowful tears

"So I was right last night? It's because you don't trust me? You think that the first actor or director that shows interest in me I'm gonna be gone?..."

Leonard shook his head

"No it's me I don't trust. When I see you with all your acting colleagues my insecurity just takes over….. I can't help myself….. Penny you don't need someone like that in your life…"

"But I love you" Penny insisted grabbing Leonard by the hand and squeezing it tightly desperate to convince him that he was wrong in every way.

Penny's words tore at Leonard's heart strings. As he had rightfully expected this was turning out to be the hardest thing he had ever had to do in his life. That day completely immersed in his own thoughts and unable to rid himself of his insecurity, Leonard had convinced himself that to end their relationship now would be for the best for both of them in the long term.

"And I love you too, but I can't do this Penny…" Leonard insisted "Its killing me….and it's hurting you and I don't want to do that…."

"So you're breaking up with me?" Penny questioned in a half whisper

Leonard nodded and told her that he was booked onto a flight back home that night.

"I think it's for the best Penny, maybe you won't see that now but…."

Just then an old grey haired woman carrying a wicker basket full of single red roses approached

"Would Monsieur like to buy a rose for the young lady?" she asked politely

Not wanting to refuse or to end up being hounded into making a purchase Leonard reached into his pants pocket for some coins and passed them to the woman.

"Merci Monsieur" she said presenting Penny with a rose from her basket

As Penny took the rose with her right hand the woman took hold of Penny's left hand and turned it over so that her palm was facing up. It seemed that the buying of a rose also entitled the purchaser to a palm reading.

"Ah I can see you love this man very much I am right oui?" the woman began

She continued to study Penny's palm, but then moments later her facial expression wrinkled into a deep frown as if she had seen something dark in Penny's future.

"What is it? " Penny demanded palmistry was one of the many psychic phenomena that she believed in despite the fact that it had been a source of contention between her and Leonard in the past.

Staring directly into her eyes the woman squeezed Penny's hand tightly shut and patted it.

"You should love this man always Mademoiselle tu comprends?"

Swiftly the woman turned on her heels and wandered off leaving Penny and Leonard alone once more. Ignoring the incident with the old woman Leonard turned towards Penny and began to apologise, he knew that his ending their relationship would break her heart just as it had his.

"How could you do this!?" Penny cried with tears streaming down her face.

Her only thought now was to get away from him before she completely broke down.

"Penny wait!"

By the time Leonard had riseN to his feet Penny had already bolted off along the path, scattering a flock of feeding birds. Leonard could only watch in dismay as she ran towards the park exit and disappeared out of sight.


	7. Chapter 7

Exiting the park Penny continued to run along the street in unfamiliar surroundings not knowing in which direction she was headed but not wanting to stop or to slow down. Hot tears blurred her vision as Leonard's words echoed around in her head. It was over. Leonard had broken up with her. Such was her distress she didn't notice that she had reached the curb and stepped off the sidewalk without checking for oncoming traffic. Suddenly there was a screech of brakes and Penny was startled as she swung round to see a blue Citroen heading right towards her. Instinctively knowing it was too late to jump clear of its path she closed her eyes, assumed a crouching position and shielded her head with her hands certain that an impact was inevitable. A few seconds later she opened one eye to find herself staring over the hood of the car at a shell shocked Cleo behind the wheel.

"Jesus Penny is that you? Shit why didn't you look? I could have killed you!" she yelled as she jumped out from her car and crouched down beside Penny on the road.

"Are you hurt?" she asked "Maybe I should drive you to the hospital"

Penny shook her head; although she was shaken fortunately the car had stopped just short of hitting her and she wasn't physically hurt.

"Are you sure? You don't look ok to me" Cleo said noticing that Penny's face was streaked with tears stains and mascara. It was then she recalled their earlier conversation outside the cafe about Leonard.

"Oh let me guess it's the boyfriend right?" she guessed with a knowing look

Penny could only manage a nod before breaking down into heaving sobs, resting her head on Cleo's shoulder. Around them angry drivers had begun to sound their horns infuriated by the obstruction being caused by Cleo's car.

"Ok sweetie let's get you up off the road and into my car before these drivers decide to guillotine me…." Cleo said and slipped her arms under Penny's armpits so that she could lift her up from the road and guide her towards the car.

"Where are we going?" Penny sniffed

"You're coming home with me, we're gonna have a stiff drink and then you're gonna tell me everything" Cleo stated firmly

A short while later Penny was curled up on the couch in Cleo's apartment sipping on a glass of Cognac which Cleo had insisted she drink to calm her nerves.

"Feeling a bit better now?" Cleo asked softly

Penny nodded giving a weak smile

"Good so do you want to tell me how you nearly came to kill yourself on the Avenue de la Bourdonnais this afternoon?"

Taking a deep breath Penny began to tell Cleo about how Leonard had overheard the conversation between her and Brett and how it had sparked off a fight. Cleo listened carefully as she explained how for a long time Leonard had been insecure about their relationship, but how she had thought that their relationship in the last year had turned a corner. Clearly she had been mistaken.

"So what do you think I should do?" Penny asked once she had finished

"Oh I don't really do advice honey" Cleo answered as she lit up a cigarette, took a long drag and exhaled "My track record so far as relationships go is pretty shocking…"

That much was true. Without doubt anybody who watched TV, surfed the Net or read newspapers would be aware that Cleo had never managed to be in relationship for more than a few months at a time.

"However what I would advise is a night out on the town with me and the rest of the cast of_ 'Maison de haute couture'_" Cleo smirked keen to steer the conversation away from Penny's troubles and to the night out that they had planned.

"Oh Cleo I'm sorry but I'm really not in the mood for partying…." Penny insisted

However by 9pm Cleo had worked her powers of persuasion on Penny and they were both stepping out of a taxi in their newly purchased designer dresses and entering into one of Paris's most exclusive nightclubs. Once inside they made a beeline for the VIP area where Penny was surprised to see Brett seated around the table with the younger members of the cast.

"You seem surprised to see me here Penny, I guess you're thinking an oldie like me should be at home with my pipe and slippers?" he joked as he poured two glasses of champagne.

"Oh you're not that old…" Penny said

"Well thank you and may I say that you look stunning tonight" Brett commented eyeing Penny in her Louis Vuitton power blue buddle dress that revealed her tanned and shapely legs.

Penny blushed as they clinked glasses and noticed how Brett continued to gaze at her over the rim of his champagne glass as they drank.

"Yeah it's been quite a day hasn't it Penny?" Cleo chipped in swallowing her champagne and helping herself to another "What with you going one-on-one with my car and nearly getting killed…"

Cleo was credited for being as a about as subtle as a sledge hammer. Brett turned to Penny with an expression of concern.

"Jesus what happened?" he asked

"Oh it was nothing Cleo nearly hit me with her car while I was crossing Avenue de la Bourdonnais this afternoon that's all….…" Penny rolled her eyes and took another sip of her champagne wishing the ground would open and swallow her up.

"Are you ok Penny? Did you go to the hospital to get checked out?" Brett reached out and put his hand on Penny's bare shoulder.

"I'm fine really there was no need" she answered "Not unless French hospitals have a miracle treatment for stupidity…."

"Well I'm glad you're ok sweetheart" Brett said patting Penny's knee "Is Leonard here tonight?"

"No" Penny replied and quickly went on to change the subject.

A short while later the DJ cranked up the volume of the music and 'Don't Cha' by the Pussy Cat Dolls began to pump out through the night club's sound system.

"Oohh I love this song!" Cleo exclaimed grabbing Penny by the hand and pulling her to her feet "Come on we're dancing!"

Before Penny could refuse Cleo had dragged her onto the dance floor along with most of the other members of the cast leaving Brett alone in the VIP area. Glancing around surreptitiously checking that nobody was watching Brett reached into Penny's purse and removed her cell phone. Seeing that there were two missed calls and a voicemail message from Leonard he slipped the phone into the pocket of his suit jacket and headed to the restroom where he locked himself into one of the stalls to listen to the message. The first thing he noticed as he put the phone to his ear was the desperate tone of Leonard's voice.

"_Hi Penny its me…listen I went back to the hotel to pack my things to go but I just couldn't honey…I kept thinking about what you said about loving me… I'm so confused right now please can we meet to talk? I called the studio and they said you'd gone to Le Cab; the security won't t let me in so I'm in the café across the street. Please Penny please come over to talk to me. I am so sorry I know I hurt you…"_

There was a beep as the message was cut short. Brett replayed it and then deleted it along with the missed call notifications. He then proceeded to switch it off before replacing the phone in his pocket and heading back out into the night club. As he pushed his way back through the crowds of people standing around the dance floor he glimpsed Penny being propositioned by a man who appeared to be drunk. The music was too loud for him to hear what was being said, but he could see from Penny's facial expression and demeanour that his advances were unwelcome. A moment later the man tried to touch Penny's hair, Penny reacted by batting the man's hand away to which he responded by forcibly grabbing her arm causing her to lose her balance in her stiletto heels. Springing into action Brett vaulted over the chrome rails that enclosed the dance floor Brett grabbed the man by the shoulders and wrestled him to the floor. The man fought back landing a punch directly on Brett's nose, Brett retaliated by pining the man down and slugging him again and again in the stomach only stopping when the a nightclub security guard pulled him off. As Brett picked himself up and dusted himself off the club manager appeared and started to apologise profusely. Outraged by the incident Brett responded by launching into an angry tirade in French.

"Je suis désolé Monsieur…" the manager repeated several times before signalling to a bar tender to replenish their champagne free of charge.

"My God you're bleeding" Penny said noticing a trickle of blood escaping from Brett's nose.

A member of staff appeared with a cloth which Penny used to dab at Brett's injured nose and cut forehead.

"Ahhh ouch!" Brett winced

"Sorry Brett…." Penny apologised "Maybe we should go to the emergency room" she suggested

Brett shook his head indicating that he was alright.

"What about you Penny? Are you hurt at all?"

It was nothing new for Penny to find herself in a position where she needed to fend off unwanted attention from men in bars and clubs.

"I'm fine believe me I've had to deal with a lot worse than that jerk in my time…" Penny informed him

"Even so maybe I should give you a ride home" Brett suggested taking out his cell phone to call his driver

Penny nodded. She hadn't really been in the party mood before the incident on the dance floor now all she wanted to do was to go home to bed. Five minutes later she was stepping outside into the cool Paris night air. From across the street at his table in the window of the café Leonard had spotted Penny and Brett emerging from the nightclub and had hastily asked the waiter to bring him the check.

"You're shivering" Brett commented and took of his jacket and placed it over Penny's shoulders

Although it was a summer evening, a chilly breeze had begun to blow and Penny had not thought ahead to bring a coat out with her. Even after more than a month she still wasn't completely accustomed to the changeable nature of European weather.

"Thank you" Penny said grateful for the warmth that it instantly provided

As they began to descend the steps down to the street there was a loud snapping sound as the heel of Penny's right shoe gave way and broke off.

"Ahh dammit!" she exclaimed as she stumbled only managing to escape losing her balance and tumbling down the steps thanks to Brett's lightening quick reactions.

"Whoa steady!" he said grabbing Penny's arm and pulling her back

"Ahhhh I don't believe it I just brought these shoes today!" Penny yelled inspecting the broken heel with utter dismay.

The heel breaking on her shoe was the absolute final straw, collapsing back down to sit on the step unable to maintain her calm composure any longer Penny burst into tears.

"Penny what is it?" Brett questioned pretending to be oblivious as to why Penny could be so upset

"Leonard broke up with me today" she sobbed tears spilling down her cheeks

Brett sat down beside a heartbroken Penny put a comforting arm around her shoulders and pulled her into an embrace.

"Oh honey I'm sorry to hear that….it seems real sudden you guys seemed really happy…"

It seemed that his years of experience as a director in the movie business had also made Brett a good actor, his look of concern and sympathetic response to the pretty young blond sat sobbing on the steps was every bit convincing. Just then there was a rumble of thunder and the heavens opened delivering heavy rain onto the streets of Paris.

"Oh great now I'm gonna get soaked too…" Penny moaned

"It's alright my driver's here now" Brett said observing his car pulling up at the bottom of steps "Ok young lady let's get you home before you catch a chill…."

Stooping down Brett lifted Penny up and carried her down to the car holding the umbrella provided by his driver with his free hand sheltering them both from the driving rain. From across the street Leonard had watched the scene unfold. He had seen Brett offer Penny his jacket and how he had put his arm around her and carried her down the steps to the waiting car. She was leaving with Brett; he had seen it with his own eyes. Walking out into the street and into the pouring rain Leonard held his hand out to hail a passing taxi. Clambering into the backseat his hair and jacket saturated by the rain he gave the driver instructions to take him back to his hotel. And then onto the airport.


	8. Chapter 8

Penny and Brett spoke very little during the short journey each preferring to sit in silence listening to the sound of the torrential rain pounding on the roof of the car and the swish of the windshield wipers. As the car drew up outside her building Penny turned towards Brett and thanked him for the ride and again for stepping into to defend her at the nightclub, she was only sorry that he had gotten hurt in the process.

"How's your nose?" Penny asked sympathetically

"Oh I think I'll live" Brett answered touching the tip of his nose and then wincing

Although his nose didn't appear to be broken, it certainly looked as though he would be sporting a black eye come the morning.

"You know you really should get some ice on your nose and a band aid on your cut, why don't you come up to my apartment? I think I have a first aid kit…"

"Well thank you Penny that's very nice of you" Brett said as he unbuckled his seatbelt and told his driver that he would take a taxi home.

Brett followed Penny into her building and together they took the elevator up the three floors to her apartment.

"Sorry about the mess" Penny apologised as they entered to come across several items of discarded clothing lying on the floor. Hastily Penny bent down bundled them up and standing in the doorway to her bedroom threw them onto her bed.

In the kitchen Brett took a seat on a kitchen stool while Penny wrapped some ice in a towel for his nose. She then turned her attention to hunting for the first aid kit eventually finding it in the cupboard above the sink.

"Ouch!" Brett winced as Penny tended to the cut above his eye

"Oh you poor baby" Penny mocked and wondering why men were always such wimps when it came to getting hurt or being sick. As a child she had gotten into numerous fights with kids from school winding up with black eyes and bruises and could never remember making a fuss.

"You know nobody's ever defended me from another guy like that before…" Penny said as she stuck a band aid on Brett's cut.

"What never?" Brett responded feigning surprise

In truth he had very quickly figured out that Leonard wasn't the kind of guy who used his fists to settle arguments. If anything he could imagine him being the kid that was always getting beat up in school.

"No I'm from Nebraska so I can pretty much handle anything that gets thrown at me" Penny stated proudly "But it was kinda nice having someone jump in and rescue me…" she added with a smile

"So you mean Leonard has never punched out a guy for you?"

Penny had finished tending to Brett's cut and was putting away the antiseptic and band aids into the first aid kit.

"Do you mind if we don't talk about Leonard" she answered

Hearing this Brett held his hands up

"Sure no problem I understand… but all I will say Penny is the guy must be out of his mind to have broken up with you…"

Penny gave a deep sigh; the mention of Leonard had made her heart begin to ache once more.

"I think I need a glass of wine do you want some?" she offered

Not wanting for a response from her guest Penny opened the refrigerator and took out a bottle of Chablis and proceeded to uncork it.

"Today has been like the worst day ever" she continued filling two extra-large glasses "I can't believe what Leonard has done…."

Brett took a small sip of his wine and set his glass down on the kitchen counter

"I thought you didn't want to talk about him" he pointed out as Penny swallowed her wine a little too quickly.

"Yeah I know I did, but I'm just so mad with him right now!..."

Feeling the upset and frustration mounting Penny began to pace the kitchen from one end to the other stopping every now and then to take a gulp of her wine.

"Well that's understandable" Brett said "Look Penny if you _do_ want to talk about Leonard then people say I am a good listener…"

"Thank you Brett, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to hear about my relationship woes….."

"Actually I do if it helps you to talk about it that is…" Brett answered

To Penny ears he sounded completely sincere. At that moment there was absolutely no reason for her to suspect that Brett was only fishing for information on Leonard's relationship so that he could use it to fulfil his own selfish and twisted agenda. Settling down on the stool beside him Penny began to explain the reasons Leonard had given for the break up and his tendency towards being insecure.

"And now he has this crazy idea that you have a thing for me, can you believe it?!" Penny exclaimed with an exasperated expression "I mean this time last month I was a waitress serving people cheeseburgers and fries in some crumby restaurant in Pasadena and you…well you're a world renown Hollywood director… the whole idea is totally ridiculous!"

Brett waited a few seconds for Penny to calm down after concluding her rant before beginning to speak.

"Is it Penny?"

"Is what?"

"Me being attracted to you, is that really _so_ ridiculous?"

Penny stared back at Brett her wide eyes with disbelief. Leonard had been right all along.

"I mean you're beautiful, funny not to mention you're amazingly talented… those sound like pretty attractive qualities to me…"

Leaning in towards her Brett brushed a loose strand of hair away from Penny's face and then proceeded to run his finger along her cheekbone down towards her chin. For a second Penny forgot herself and closed her eyes enjoying the sensation of being touched so delicately, but moments later feeling Brett's lips pressed on hers images of Leonard flashed in her mind's eye bringing her back to a painful reality.

"No please Brett don't…." she cried pulling away and jumping up from the stool.

"Oh my God Penny…..Jesus I'm so sorry I don't know what came over me…."

Silently Brett cursed himself for making his move too quickly, now he had some serious damage limitation to do if he wanted to win back Penny's trust.

"I can't believe you'd make a move on me like that…I just broke up with my boyfriend" she reminded him. Not that he needed any reminding.

"Yeah I know and I'm so sorry Penny, please I hope you can forgive me…I think it must be the wine" he said trying to excuse his inappropriate behaviour.

"Look I think I should go now" Brett said getting to his feet "Thank you for taking care of me and for the wine…please believe me Penny I am truly sorry I know I over stepped the line….I promise you it won't happen again…"

Penny gave a weak smile

"Ok well I guess we both had a bit too much to drink" she conceded

She was relieved that she hadn't got carried away in the moment and kissed him back. It would only complicated the situation further and she was by no means ready to move onto anything new.

"So I'll see you on Monday at work…we're still friends right?" Brett said hesitating by the door

Recalling how easy it can be to make a mistake in the heat of the moment Penny felt a sudden wave of sympathy for him and leant in to kiss his cheek.

"Sure friends" she agreed with a smile

That night Penny lay awake for several hours thinking about Leonard her pillow moist from her sad and lonely tears. After Brett had left she had discovered that her cell phone was missing so there was no way of knowing if he had tried to call. Concluding that she must have left it behind in the club, Penny made a mental note to ask the building concierge to call the club in the morning to see if it had been found. The next morning Penny was awoken by the sound of her door bell looking at the clock beside her bed she realised that she had slept in until 10am.

"Ok ok I'm coming" Penny yelled as she fastened her robe on her way to the door.

Opening the door Penny saw a delivery man holding a parcel. After signing for it she took it inside and tore off the layer of parcel paper to find inside a box baring the name 'Louis Vuitton' and a hand written note.

'_I hope you can forgive me. B._'

The box contained replacement shoes for the pair that had been broken the night before.

"Man Brett sure knows how to apologise…" Penny said out loud to herself as she removed one of the perfectly sculptured shoes from the tissue paper and slipped one on.

By early afternoon alone in her apartment Penny was beginning to feel that the walls were closing in her. She desperately needed to get outside to try and clear her head so decided to get changed to go for a run in one of the nearby parks. She was just tying her laces on the running shoes when the doorbell rang for the second time that day. This time it was Brett in person.

"Hi Penny I'm sorry to stop by unannounced, but I was worried about you after last night…"

Penny smiled at what she perceived to be genuine concern on his part.

"Thank you Brett I'm fine" she reassured him "And thank you for the shoes that was a very nice gesture, although I feel a little uncomfortable accepting them…"

"Nonsense" Brett cut in "It's the least I can do after the terrible day you had you deserve some cheering up"

"Well nothing cheers me up like new shoes" Penny admitted with a happy grin

Back home her closet was stacked high with shoe boxes of every imaginable colour and style.

"Actually I wondered if maybe I could take you out for lunch" Brett began and then hastily added "Just as friends of course"

"Actually I was just going out for a run" Penny told him and motioned at her attire of sweatpants, vest top and running shoes.

"Well why don't I wait here until you get back?" Brett suggested and held his breath as he waited for her response. Having the opportunity to be alone in Penny's apartment would allow him to put the plan into action much more quickly than he had anticipated.

"Ok sure why not" Penny replied as she tied her hair back in a ponytail in preparation for her run

"Great" Brett beamed "I think you're gonna love the place I have in mind for lunch, they do the best escargot I've ever tasted"

Penny wrinkled her nose in mild disgust, although escargot was a classic French dish the very thought of eating snails grossed her out.

"Yeah I think I might go for the steak…" she said with a smile hoping that Brett wouldn't think her unadventurous.

Penny was just about to head out for her run when Brett casually asked if he could borrow her laptop saying that he had some urgent emails that he needed to take care of and that the battery on his cell phone has died. Without even the slightest suspicion of Brett's sinister intentions Penny typed in her password and logged in.

"Enjoy your run" Brett called after her

"Thanks!"

The door slammed as Penny went out and Brett immediately turned his attention towards the laptop and to hacking into Penny's email account…..


	9. Chapter 9

It was with a heart filled with sorrow and regret that Leonard finally climbed the last few stairs up to apartment 4A. The combination of lack of sleep and the fourteen hour flight had left him feeling completely shattered. The only tiny consolidation was that it was the early hours of Saturday morning and Sheldon would be asleep; at least he had a few more hours of peace before having to face a barrage of questions. Tip toeing into the apartment and quietly closing the door behind him Leonard made his way to his bedroom where he intended to fall into bed and remain for the foreseeable future. He had just stepped inside his room when the door burst open and there in his pyjamas and robe attempting to appear menacing by wielding aloft his Game of Thrones sword stood Sheldon.

"Sheldon it's me!" cried Leonard

"Leonard?"

Leonard switched on his bedside lamp illuminating the room.

"Leonard what are you doing here? You're supposed to be in France" Sheldon questioned lowering the sword down to his waist relieved that it was his roommate and not an intruder.

Leonard flopped down onto his bed and began to massage the bridge of his nose; the lack of sleep had triggered off a migraine and his head was pounding.

"Sheldon please I understand that you have questions, but I really don't feel like talking right now.."

"You're right I do have questions Leonard….. like did you bring me back a souvenir from the Paris Science Museum?" he asked apparently oblivious to his Leonard's anguished demeanour.

"No I didn't" Leonard answered abruptly

"But Leonard you promised that…." Sheldon began to protest

"Sheldon! unless you're tired of living I suggest that you get out of my room right now!" Leonard ordered pointing angrily at the door

Ordinarily Leonard had almost endless patience when it came to dealing with Sheldon, but his patience at this particular moment in time was non-existent. All he wanted was to be left alone in the darkness of his room.

"Alright alright don't yell at me…"

Sheldon backed out of the room and closed the door. A second later Leonard heard knocking.

"Leonard"…._knock knock_….."Leonard"….._knock knock_….."Leonard" …._knock knock_

"What?" came a muffled reply as Leonard lay on his bed with head buried in his pillow wishing that for once Sheldon would get the hint and just go away. Sadly years of bitter experience of being his roommate told him that that wasn't going to happen and he knew what was coming.

"Leonard you seem to be upset should I bring you a hot beverage?"

"I don't want a hot beverage Sheldon" Leonard responded

"I'm sorry it's not optional"

Sheldon scampered off to the kitchen returning a few minutes with a mug of steaming cocoa.

"Did you want to talk about what's bothering you?" Sheldon asked as he set down the mug on Leonard's beside table.

"No"

"Oh good… well goodnight then Leonard"

Having adhered to the social convention of providing someone in distress with a hot beverage Sheldon was keen to beat a hasty retreat. Just as he was going to open the door and make his escape Leonard spoke causing him to halt.

"I've lost her Sheldon" he said his face still muffled by the pillow "I've lost Penny…."

Sheldon removed his hand that was grasping the door knob and turned back towards Leonard with a quizzical expression

"That seems unlikely Leonard you have GPS on your phone…."

Feeling that he might explode at any moment Leonard counted silently to ten in his head and then rolled over onto his back and sat up.

"No I mean that we've broken up dumb ass… oh I don't know why I'm telling you this" Leonard snapped utterly frustrated by his friend's lack of understanding and ability to empathise.

Leonard was just about to tell Sheldon to leave his room for the second time when he felt his cell phone vibrate in his pants pocket. Pulling it out he realised that he had just received an email from Penny. As he opened it and began to read the colour drained from his face leaving his skin a pale ghostly white. Absolutely nothing could have prepared him for what he was now reading as it confirmed his greatest fear. Penny had been cheating on him with Brett.

"What is it Leonard?" Sheldon asked

"No it can't be…." Leonard breathed shaking his head in disbelief

Feeling his chest tighten Leonard reached into his pocket to retrieve his asthma inhaler and took two long puffs before re-reading the email. It made no sense. It was a mistake it had to be.

"Please Sheldon can you just leave me now? I need to be alone" Leonard insisted

This time Sheldon didn't argue with his roommate. Knowing that he had to speak with Penny right then and there Leonard brought up Penny's name from his contacts list on his cell and pressed call. This time instead of going directly to voicemail the phone began to ring and two rings later there was a click as the call was answered.

"Penny?" Leonard cried desperately into the phone he could hear the sound of someone breathing at the other end and assumed that it was her.

"This is Brett Harrison here"

Hearing Brett's voice Leonard's mouth went dry.

"What?" he whispered not wanting to believe that he was now speaking to the very man with whom Penny had said that she cheated on him with.

Eventually finding his voice Leonard demanded to speak with Penny.

"This isn't a good time Leonard, I don't think Penny wants to speak to you right now…." Brett said firmly

"No Brett I want to speak with Penny" Leonard protested shaking his head defiantly in refusal

Brett responded to Leonard's demand with an irritated sigh.

"Listen Hofstadter I think it would be a lot easier for both of you if you just accept that it's over and back off ok? You need to face the fact that a girl like Penny was never gonna be satisfied with a guy like _you_…." he said in an intentionally mocking tone "I mean a guy who dresses up in Star Trek uniforms….goes to sci-fi conventions and reads comic books…you're kidding yourself if you thought Penny was going stay with you…."

"No you're wrong Penny loves me" Leonard came back his voice shaking as he desperately fought back his tears "She told me so when we were together…."

"Really? So if she's so _into_ you Hofstadter tell me why she and I have been sleeping together since her first week here in Paris?…"

Brett heard Leonard draw in a breath

"Yeah that's right Penny and I have been having sex… I gotta tell you Hofstadter Penny she's a real wild one…."

Hearing the sound of Brett's callous laughter and imaging the smug look of satisfaction on his face Leonard's right hand balled into fists as he longed to be able to punch him out. It was then he noticed that he could hear the sound of running water in the background.

"Anyway Penny's taking a shower right now and then I'm taking her out to lunch, I'll be sure to tell her you called Hofstadter…"

There was another click as Brett hung up and the line went dead.

"I won't be long Brett" Penny shouted from the bedroom as perused her closet for an outfit oblivious to the long distance telephone conversation that had just taken place only meters away from where she was standing.

"No hurry take your time" Brett called back

Stepping into the kitchen and closing the door Brett opened the back of Penny's cell phone and removed and destroyed the SIM card. Checking once more that Penny was still preoccupied with getting ready in the bedroom, he took out his own cell phone and proceeded to make a call to a friend who was a journalist at a Paris based celebrity news magazine.

"Hi its Brett Harrison here listen I need a favour" he said in a hushed tone "I'm going to be taking lunch at Le Cinq with a female companion in about half an hour, could you arrange for a photographer to take some shots?...great I really appreciate it…"

Smiling cunningly to himself Brett wandered back into the lounge and picked up his cup of coffee and poured it directly onto the keyboard of Penny's laptop.

"Oh dammit !" Brett yelled loudly ensuring that Penny would hear him cursing himself for what he would pretend was a clumsy accident.

"What is it?"

Penny popped her head around the bedroom door to see Brett mopping up a pool of spilt coffee on the dining table.

"I'm so Sorry Penny I had an accident with my coffee it's gone all over your laptop…."

The lies came so easy to Brett. To him was like second nature.

Penny entered the room and saw that the screen on her laptop had gone black and had frozen and that it was making a high pitched buzzing sound.

"Listen why don't we go shopping after lunch and I'll buy you a brand new laptop?.. it's the least I can do…maybe we can pick you up a new cell phone too….." Brett said with a smile as he slipped on his jacket.

Hearing this Penny's face wrinkled into a frown

"How did you know my cell was missing?" she asked with a puzzled expression

Brett hesitated despite all his careful scheming it seemed that a momentary lapse in his thinking had caused him to slip up.

"You told me when I got here remember? Before you went out for your run?.."

Penny stared down at the floor as she tried to recall their earlier conversation, so much had happened over the last 24 hours it had left her feeling confused and disorientated.

"Oh Penny sweetheart it's because you're upset over Leonard you're forgetting stuff that's all…" Brett said putting his arm around her "But you've got me honey you don't have to go through this alone…"

Penny rolled her eyes, Brett had successfully managed to convince her that she had simply forgotten.

"Yeah I guess you're right I am upset and my heads a total mess right now…." she conceded

As Penny got out of Brett's car outside the swanky Paris restaurant a photographer jumped seemingly out of nowhere and began to photograph them capturing Brett with his hand on Penny's back as he guided her towards the restaurant entrance. Over lunch Brett ensured that Penny's wine glass was kept topped up so that by the time they had finished she was more than a little tipsy. As planned the photographer was waiting outside as they departed and took a dozen or so more shots of the couple, this time with Penny resting her head on Brett's shoulder and their arms linked as he supported her. By the morning the photos would be on the front page of the Paris magazine and featuring in just about every newspaper back home in the States…

Over five thousand miles away alone in his bedroom Leonard's entire world had come crashing down. All his hopes and dreams of spending his life with the woman that he loved had been cruelly shattered in an instant. Penny had betrayed him and this time it really was over. And it hurt like hell.


	10. Chapter 10

In the days following her break up with Leonard Penny immersed herself in her work staying late at the studio most nights going over her lines and working on her acting technique. On top of everything else she had come home one evening to discover that the heart shaped locket which Leonard had given to her before leaving for his trip to the North Sea had mysteriously disappeared from its place on the dressing table in her apartment. The following day when she had mentioned the missing locket to Brett he had been quick to point the finger of blame at the maid who came into the apartment each day to clean and do laundry.

"Oh no she seems so nice… I'm sure Giselle wouldn't steal anything …" Penny had insisted shaking her head refusing to believe Brett's explanation for the disappearing locket.

Over the weeks Penny had grown very fond of Giselle and although she didn't speak any English and Penny only a few words of French, they had found ways of communicating with each other using hand gestures and facial expressions. Without Penny's knowledge Brett had reported the missing locket to the building manager and Giselle was promptly dismissed and replaced. Thinking always of Brett as her friend as well as her boss, never in a million years would Penny have suspected that Brett was responsible. Taking the locket Brett had packaged it up and mailed it back to Leonard in the certainty that it would send a clear and final message that their relationship was over.

For Leonard the weeks since the break up in Paris had dragged by. Aside from going to work he had refused to go anywhere socially, not even going along to the comic book store on Wednesday evenings for new comic book night. Unsurprisingly his friends were become increasingly concerned for him and desperate in their attempts to try and help him open up to them and deal with his pain. It was now 3rd July and for the first time in weeks Leonard was taking lunch in the university cafeteria with Sheldon, Raj and Howard. As a surprise Raj had brought all his friends a ticket to attend the 4th July fireworks display at the Rose Bowl Stadium.

"Oh come on Leonard it'll be fun dude…" Raj coaxed "Tell him Howard tell him he has to come…"

"I'm sorry guys I'm just not in the mood this year" Leonard told them whilst picking at his macaroni cheese with his fork. Since returning from France he had completely lost his appetite and had dropped several pounds in weight.

Looking around the cafeteria Leonard could see a group of girls at a nearby table whispering to each other in hushed tones. For weeks now he had been the talk of the university after what had unfortunately become a very public break up with Penny. Two days after returning home photographs of Penny and Brett dining at one of the most expensive restaurants in Paris had appeared in an array of celebrity magazines and on the Internet.

"Come on Leonard you can't stay cooped up in the apartment forever" Howard argued "It will do you good to get out and hang out with your friends…"

In the end it was easier to relent than to continue to come up with accuses as to why he didn't want to go, none of which were deemed as acceptable by his friends.

"Ok fine I'll go" Leonard said with a sigh

Privately he was dreading it, certain that the 4th July celebrations would hold no enjoyment for him this year. Not without Penny.

In Paris a long day of filming was drawing to a close. Earlier in the day that had been shooting up by the _Sacré_**-**_Cœur_ and had later returned to finish filming in the studio. Speaking through a megaphone Brett was now calling an impromptu cast and crew meeting. Obediently everyone stopped whatever task they were undertaking and gathered around.

"Ok folks I'm sure you're all aware tomorrow is 4th July and a holiday back home ….so with that in mind we won't be filming tomorrow…" Brett announced clapping his hands together.

Brett waited until the sounds of whooping and cheering that filled the studio had subsided before concluding his announcement.

"So that's it you may all leave early and we'll see you the day after tomorrow…have fun guys!"

With that the gathered crowd began to quickly disperse. Penny was about to head back to her dressing room when Brett called after her.

"Hey Penny have you got a minute?" he asked

"Sure"

"How are you? We haven't had much of a chance to talk since…" Brett's voice trailed off there was no need to complete the sentence Penny knew exactly what he meant.

"I'm ok" Penny answered although the pain and sadness that she felt was still evident in her eyes

"I take it you haven't heard from Leonard?" Brett asked cautiously

Penny shook her head

"No not since he left to go back home"

There was a short silence as Brett contemplated his next move

"Listen Penny do you have any plans for tomorrow evening?"

Penny didn't reply, her only plans were to stay in with a bottle of wine and watch a few sappy movies that would probably end up making her feel homesick.

"Only I have a ticket going spare for a concert …" Brett continued "It would be great if you could join me…."

Penny hesitated. Since the breakup she found hardly any enjoyment in going out or being in the company of others. A few times Cleo had dragged her out to a bar or a club promising her that a night out on the town would help ease her broken heart. It didn't. Nothing did.

"Look Penny I might be out of line in saying this, but maybe it's time you started to move on…."

As Brett studied Penny's face he could tell that his advice was not being well received, but giving priority to his own hidden agenda he decided to persevere regardless.

"What I mean is the guy broke up with you and hasn't called since he went back to the States….I just don't see why you should sit around in the hope that he might call when you could be making the most of your time here…."

Hearing this Penny bit down hard on her bottom lip as she considered his advice she was beginning to feel incredibly lonely spending almost every evening alone in her apartment.

"Come on it'll be fun I guarantee" Brett coaxed "Dinner will be on me too…" he added hoping that the offer of a fancy meal would clinch the deal.

"Ok" Penny whispered her lips finally curling into a tiny smile "Sure why not"

As Penny headed back to her dressing room Brett switched on his megaphone and called after her

"Oh and wear something patriotic!"

"Huh?" Penny responded shrugging her shoulders

"You'll see"

Brett's guarantee of a fun time did not disappoint. The _'spare'_ ticket he had casually mentioned was for a front row seat at a Bruce Springsteen concert at France's national stadium; Le Stade de France.

"Oh my God this is awesome!" Penny yelled in a somewhat pointless effort to be heard above the sound of the music and the cheering crowds. Never in her life had she had front row tickets to a concert, never mind someone as legendry as The Boss.

"What?" Brett yelled back cupping his hand to his ear as he tried make out Penny's words

Penny just smiled and continued to dance. The atmosphere inside the stadium was truly electrifying and despite her recent heartache Penny had begun to forget herself and was enjoying every moment. Heeding Brett's instructions to wear something patriotic she had on a sequin top in the design of an American flag and a pair of skinny white jeans. The evening passed by all too quickly and soon the crowds were cheering madly for Bruce to return to the stage for one final number. Reappearing on stage the big screen changed to an image of the Statue of Liberty as he launched into _'Born in the USA' _the entire stadium erupted and an array of fireworks shot into the air illuminating the night sky.

"Woo hoo!" Penny shouted jumping up and down on the spot and waving her arms madly in the air

In her excitement Penny failed to notice that Brett's eyes were not on the stage or on the fireworks but fixed firmly on her…..


	11. Chapter 11

"Oh Sheldon look how cute those prizes are!" Amy exclaimed pointing excitedly at the rows of stuffed cartoon characters that could be won by successfully shooting a ball through a basket.

All the gang were at the Rose Bowl Stadium for the 4th July celebrations and were taking in the carnival attractions ahead of the evening firework display.

"Oh please Amy everybody knows that all carnival games are rigged… they're nothing but blatant hoodwinkery.." Sheldon announced pointedly and then proceeded to launch into an interesting factoidabout how the phrase _'to mark'_ meaning sucker originated from the rigging of carnival games.

Just then a young boy of about eleven or twelve years old stepped up to try his luck at winning a prize, much to Sheldon's dismay managed to shoot a hoop on his first attempt securing himself a giant sized Daffy Ducky.

"Blatant hoodwinkery eh?" Amy said raising one eyebrow at her boyfriend

"Yeah I thought you said these games were impossible to win Sheldon?..." Howard piled on as he rummaged in his pants pocket for some coins "You know I think I'm gonna give it a try…."

Not wanting to be out done by Howard Wolowitz Sheldon pulled out his wallet and handed payment over to the side stall owner.

"Alright I'll give it a go" he said rolling his shoulders back as he steeled himself for the challenge.

"Why don't we make it a bit more interesting ? The first one to score a hoop and win a prize gets to choose a forfeit for the other person…." Howard suggested with a mischievous twinkle in his eye.

Sheldon face twitched he knew from experience that Howard had a monovalent mind , if he were to lose he would probably choose to humiliate him by him getting him to parade around the university campus in a French maid outfit again or worse.

"Ok never let it be said that Sheldon Cooper won't rise to a challenge…" he asserted

A short distance away Leonard was alone gazing sadly up at the Ferris wheel once again lost in his thoughts of Penny. So preoccupied was he that he didn't hear a voice behind repeatedly calling his name. It wasn't until he felt a firm tap on his shoulder that he turned to see Sheldon's assistant Alex Jensen holding a box of popcorn.

"Hi Leonard" she said smiling "Happy 4th July"

"Hey Alex….happy 4th July" Leonard responded but despite his best effort failed to return Alex's friendly smile.

There was an awkward silence as Alex toyed with whether to ask how he was doing after his breakup with Penny, not because she wanted to pry into Leonard's private life, but because she genuinely cared about him.

"Do you fancy a ride maybe?" Alex asked nodding in the direction of the Ferris wheel which with darkness falling had now been lit up with red, white and blue fairy lights that blinked on and off.

"Sure why not" Leonard replied

After paying the attendant in the booth Leonard and Alex clambered into their seats in one of the Ferris wheel cars and pulled down the safety bar.

"I don't think I've ever been on a Ferris wheel" Leonard remarked as the ride began to rotate whisking them high into the air providing them with a sensational bird's eye view of the carnival and the stadium "Going to carnivals and having fun like regular people was not the sort of thing that our family did…"

"That's a shame I used to_ love_ going to carnivals as a kid" Alex said offering Leonard some of her popcorn "The Ferris wheel was always my favourite ride… it was like somehow way up here you could forget all your troubles…."

Leonard munched on his popcorn and stared miserably below at the people enjoying themselves. He noticed Raj chatting with a girl over by the _'High Striker'_ game, taking off his windbreaker jacket apparently about to try his luck in what was most likely an effort to impress said girl.

"Oh I'm sorry Leonard I wasn't suggesting that you could just forget about Penny..." Alex said placing her hand on Leonard's arm and giving it a gentle squeeze "Boy I sure know how to put my foot in it…"

"No its ok" Leonard responded. He knew that Alex had a good heart and wouldn't intentionally say anything to hurt him "At least you have the decency to talk about Penny to my face and not behind my back when you think I'm out of earshot…"

Sadly the rumour mill at the university was currently in overdrive. Everyone seemed to have their own theory as to what had happened in Paris, the latest being that Leonard had walked in on Penny and Brett having sex in her dressing room. Regardless of the exact truth, everyone seemed to be talking about how Leonard's girlfriend had cheated on him with Brett Harrison whilst away filming on location.

"The last few weeks must have been really tough on you Leonard" Alex said sympathetically. She couldn't deny that she cared deeply for him and although she tried not to, she couldn't help but wonder now how things might have worked out differently had Leonard not been in a relationship with Penny.

"I still love her Alex…. I want to hate her for what's she did…but somehow I can't…I can't stop loving Penny… I don't know what to do anymore… everywhere I look there's reminders of her.. .."

Alex could see the hurt in Leonard's eyes, losing Penny was clearly tearing him apart and she wished that there was something she could do to take away his pain.

"I don't think there's anything I can say right now to make you feel better Leonard" Alex said honestly "But would a hug from a friend help?"

Swivelling in the seat Alex wrapped her arms around Leonard's middle and pulled him close.

"You're strong Leonard you're gonna get through this" she whispered reassuringly

"Thanks Alex you're a good friend" Leonard answered enjoying the warmth of Alex's embrace.

As they looked down at the crowds milling around the side stalls they spotted Sheldon twitching nervously as Howard presented Bernadette with the Wile e coyote which he had just won.

"Oh I think I better go get Sheldon before he gets us all kicked out…"Leonard said observing that he was now attempting to force the side stall owner to accept his credit having run out of cash.

"Ok" Alex said chuckling to herself

The car in which they were riding came to a stop on the ground and Leonard held out his hand to help Alex up out of her seat.

"Dr. Hofstadter?" a voice said while Leonard's back was still turned helping Alex out of the Ferris wheel car. Without thinking Leonard span around.

"Yeah?"

There were bright flashes as a dozen or more cameras began to photograph Leonard and Alex, catching them completely unaware and dazzling them like rabbits that had been caught in headlights.

"Dr. Hofstadter what do you have to say about your ex-girlfriend and Brett Harrison?" a voice shouted from behind one of the cameras

"Mam what's your relationship with Dr. Hofstadter?" another reported called out thrusting a microphone at Alex.

There was another bout of camera flashes Leonard turned away and shielded his eyes while Alex buried her head on his shoulder.

"Leonard what's happening?" she cried they appeared to be completely encircled by photographers and reporters taking pictures and firing questions at them.

Leonard's first and only instinct was to protect Alex from the unwelcome intrusion. Seizing her hand he barged his way through the crowd knocking one photographer's camera from his hands and sending it crashing to the ground. Having escaped from the crowd Leonard and Alex began to sprint in the direction of the parking lot.

"They're chasing after us Leonard!" Alex yelled glancing over her shoulder and understanding what it must feel like to be a gazelle in the Serengeti being hunted by a herd of cheetah.

As they approached the car Leonard pulled out of his key and disabled the alarm and the central locking allowing them to jump quickly inside.

"Obviously this has something to with Penny and the director" Alex said as she fastened her seatbelt

Leonard started the engine and threw the car into gear, only just managing to get away before the hordes of photographers caught up with them. They drove out of the stadium and on for a few miles with Leonard glancing every few seconds in the rear view mirror to check that they weren't being pursued. Eventually satisfied that they were in the clear, he pulled the car over at the side of the road and collapsed head down onto the steering wheel. The shock of the incident at the carnival coupled with the frantic dash to the car had triggered off an asthma attack and he was now gasping for breath. Feeling in his pants pocket he remembered that he had changed before coming out and had forgotten his inhaler.

"Where's your inhaler Leonard?" Alex demanded her concern increasing for her friend

Wheezing heavily Leonard pointed at the glove compartment where he kept a spare inhaler for emergencies. Responding quickly Alex opened it and frantically rummaged around inside moments later locating it and thrusting it into Leonard's hands. Observing his pale skin and the beads of sweat on his forehead Alex began to panic.

"Let me drive you to the emergency room" she insisted motioning for Leonard to swap seats with her so that she could get into the driver seat and take the wheel.

Leonard shook his head. The inhaler was starting to do its job and thankfully the attack was beginning to subside and his breathing returning to normal.

"I'm ok Alex" he told her between breaths

Alex had never witnessed anyone having an asthma attack before and found the whole experience to be truly unnerving, particularly given that it was Leonard.

"You scared me" she said breathing a sigh of relief now that their ordeal finally seemed to be over.

"Thank you for taking care of me" Leonard said appreciatively touching her arm. He was upset that Alex had got caught up in the middle of the whole fiasco, but at the same time glad that she was with him now.

"You're very welcome" Alex replied smiling "Thanks for rescuing me from that pack of vultures back there…."

There was a brief silence before Alex cleared her throat and spoke

"I think maybe I should go home Leonard" she said and asked if he felt ok enough to drive her back.

Back home Alex entered her apartment and was relieved to find that her roommate was out allowing her to go directly to her bedroom without having to endure any inane chit chat. Inside her bedroom Alex leant up against the wall and slowly slid down to the floor where she sat with her head resting on her knees. For the last year she had been doing her best to deny her true feelings. But there was no denying it now. The events of that night had proved it to her. She was in love with Leonard Hofstadter.

Penny barely had one foot out of her car and into the studio when Cleo pounced on her squealing with excitement holding a copy of a well-known celebrity gossip magazine.

"Guess who made page two of this week's issue?" she chirped waving the magazine in front of Penny's face.

"I don't know Cleo who are you are dating this week?" Penny responded absent mindedly lifting her travel coffee cup to her lips and taking a sip.

"It's you honey!" Cleo exclaimed choosing to ignore Penny's thinly veiled criticism of her romantic life she passed her the magazine.

Penny flipped open the first page and stared down at a picture of her and Brett dancing in the front row at the Bruce Springsteen concert and then at a shot of them leaving the Ritz Hotel after having dinner. As her eyes scanned across to page three she was stunned to see a series of photographs of Leonard and Alex embracing on what appeared to be a Ferris wheel at a carnival. Beneath the photos was the caption _'Jilted ex seeks comfort in arms of university doctoral student'_

"Looks like your ex has moved on already doesn't it?" Cleo remarked without the slightest regard as to how seeing her boyfriend seemingly in the arms of another woman might impact upon her .

"I have to be in makeup" Penny murmured pushing the magazine back at Cleo and barging her way passed spilling her coffee on Cleo.

"Hey!..." Cleo yelled and looked down angrily at the brown stain that had formed on her new Versace jeans. A member of the crew rushed up with a handful of napkins so that she could try and salvage the jeans from complete ruin.

"Boy she really isn't a morning person" Cleo said to herself as she watched Penny stomping off

Instead of going directly to makeup Penny found herself heading for the sanctuary of the bathroom where she locked herself inside a stall so she could cry in private. A millions thoughts were racing through her mind, but mainly she was questioning whether Alex Jensen had been the real reason why Leonard had ended their relationship. There was a creak as the door to the bathroom opened and the sound of footsteps as someone entered.

"Penny are you ok?"

It was Brett.

"I saw you talking with Cleo…you seemed upset so I thought I'd come check on you…are you ok in there honey?" he asked pressing his head closer to the door of the stall he could hear the sound of Penny crying softly.

"Yes" Penny sniffed "I just need a minute to…"

The helpless tears took hold once again and she began to sob uncontrollably

"Sweetheart you don't sound ok…what's wrong?" he asked. Not that he didn't know already he had picked up a copy on his way to the studio and had congratulated himself for successfully destroying whatever hope Penny had left of getting back with Leonard. There was a click as Penny slid open the lock on the stall and emerged her eyes red and puffy from crying.

"I need a hug" she whimpered

Brett stepped closer and wrapped his arms tightly around Penny allowing her to cry with her head rested on his chest.

"Is this to do with Leonard?" Brett asked

"Yeah" Penny sniffed

"You know Penny" Brett began gently stroking the hair on the back of her head "Seeing you like this…so cut up over Leonard….it's hurting me too sweetheart…you deserve so much better than that jerk.."

Deciding that he should seize the opportunity while being at her most vulnerable, Brett cupped Penny's face in his hands and looked her straight in the eye.

"Look what I mean is I care_ so_ much for you Penny and I know that I could make you happy in ways that Leonard never could….all you have to do is just let go and trust me…" he stopped short of telling her that he loved her fearful that it might freak her out and chase her away. Just as Brett was leaning in to kiss her, the door to the bathroom burst open revealing Cleo with a large wet patch on her jeans from the earlier incident with the coffee.

"Woops sorry I didn't know I was interrupting something.." she said eyeing Penny and Brett apparently poised to kiss.

"Don't mind me" she continued as she grabbed a fistful of paper hand towels from the dispenser "I wouldn't want to come between you and your bathroom make out session…."

"Wow that was embarrassing" Penny said once Cleo had exited the bathroom with a huge grin plastered on her face.

Outside in the studio a loud buzzer sounded indicating that the days filming was about to commence, knowing that Brett would be required on set Penny assured him that she was ok now and that he should get going.

"Penny" Brett said holding the bathroom door half open "Could I maybe come by your place this evening after work?...I can bring some food with me for us to eat dinner together..."

"Sure I'd like that" Penny answered this time with no hesitation

"Great…..I guess I'll see you later then…"

Wandering out onto set Brett was approached by an assistant director who asked him if he'd had the chance to review the edited footage from the previous days filming.

"Yeah I think we nailed it this time" he answered

Thinking not of the movie, but of Penny.


	12. Chapter 12

"What do you think we should do?" Amy asked as Bernadette studied the magazine featuring photos of Brett and Penny at the concert and Leonard and Penny at the Rose Bowl Stadium on 4th July. It had been Amy that had first discovered the pictures having spotted it in the supermarket on her way home from work. Upon the startling discovery she had called Bernadette who was now in her apartment.

"We have to tell him before he finds out some other way… " Bernadette said shaking her head sadly at the pictures "He's gonna be so upset he's having a tough enough time as it is…this will only make things worse.."

The magazine was speculating that Penny was soon to be the next Mrs Harrison or _'wife no.4'_ as was the headline and was implying that Leonard had sought comfort in Alex's arms and that that were a couple. It was a classic case of the media twisting a story to suit their own interests without regard as to whether it was the truth, or what distress it might cause to those involved.

"I was on my way over to have dinner with Sheldon maybe you could come with me.." Amy suggested as she grabbed her purse and car keys. Bernadette nodded agreeing that the sooner they could break the news to Leonard the better. By the time they arrived Leonard had left the apartment to pick up the takeout meal. Opening the door Sheldon was surprised to see Bernadette accompanying Amy.

"Sheldon something's happened" Amy told him showing her boyfriend the magazine piece

"Oh dear it seems that my talk with Alex that time didn't work…" he sighed "I can see I'm gonna have to talk to her all over again…" although not unexpected Bernadette found Sheldon's constant lack of understanding of the actual situation and ability his to empathise to be totally infuriating.

"There's nothing going on between Leonard and Alex Sheldon" she yelled "Don't you understand that when Leonard finds out about this he's gonna be really upset?!"

"Find out about what?"

The three friends looked up to see Leonard depositing his keys in the bowl by the door while holding a plastic bag containing the takeout.

"What's going on guys?" he asked looking first to Sheldon and then over to Amy and Bernadette

"Leonard you need to see this" Bernadette said walking towards him holding out the magazine

Taking the magazine Leonard's facial expression turned into one of horror and disbelief scratching his head he silently cursed himself for not seeing it coming.

"It was just a friendly hug" he explained "I was upset over Penny Alex was just trying to comfort me…"

"We know that Leonard you don't have to explain to us…." Amy said sympathetically her heart going out to her friend.

"I have to go" Leonard said putting down the bag of takeout on the coffee table and retrieving his keys from the bowl.

"Leonard where are you going?" Sheldon asked peering into the bag and discovering that Leonard had forgotten to pick up the hot mustard sauce from the Korean store.

"Leonard you forgot the…"

The door slammed leaving Amy and Bernadette staring at Sheldon in exasperation.

"I'm sorry Amy but sometimes I really don't know why Leonard puts up with your boyfriend…" Bernadette said shaking her head and tutting leaving Sheldon looking flummoxed once more.

"Did I do something?..." he said

It was Alex's roommate Lauren that answered the door to Leonard. Standing there in doorway in his hoodie top and jeans she looked him up and down and liked what she saw.

"Erm hi is Alex at home please?" he asked mildly embarrassed that Alex's roommate was clearly checking him out.

"Alex! Someone's here to see you!" she yelled over her shoulder and continued to stare at Leonard while waiting for Alex to emerge from her bedroom. Alex appeared in the hallway wearing a floral print summer dress.

"Leonard hi" she said surprised to see him at her door

"Alex have you got a minute?"

"Sure" Alex motioned for Leonard to follow her to her bedroom where they could talk in private without Lauren's prying ears.

"So what's up?" Alex questioned as she closed the bedroom door behind her

Noticing that Alex's laptop was on with an open Word document on the screen Leonard apologised for interrupting what appeared to be a study session.

"Its fine Leonard …here take a seat" she said moving a pile of books from her bed so that Leonard could sit down. Leonard passed Alex the magazine and told her to open up to page three.

"Oh!" she exclaimed seeing carefully selected photos depicting her and Leonard cuddling at the carnival.

"Alex I'm _so _sorry that you got dragged into all of this" Leonard said sincerely

Alex shrugged

"You're not to blame Leonard….really there's no need to apologise to me.."

A cool breeze wafted into the room through the open window offering them both a brief respite from the blistering hot July day. The apartment's air conditioning was currently on the blink and Alex and Lauren were still hassling their landlord to get it repaired.

"Have you er spoken to Penny about it?..." Alex asked returning to her laptop and moving the mouse around.

"No" Leonard answered "From what I see she's having the time of her life out there in Paris with _him"_ the very mention of Brett left Leonard with a foul taste in his mouth "I very much doubt she'd care even if we were a couple…."

There was a silence while another breeze blew the window drapes

"Anyway I just thought you should hear it from me first, no doubt it will be the talk of the university by tomorrow" Leonard continued as he got up from Alex's bed and got ready to leave "I guess I'll see you at work…"

"Leonard" Alex span round from her desk chair to catch him just before he opened the door

"Yeah?"

Pausing and taking a deep breath Alex felt the sensation of butterflies in her stomach once again and instantly lost her nerve.

"Thank you for coming over" she said with a smile "It was very thoughtful of you"

"No problem"

As Leonard descended the stairs of Alex's building his cell phone began to ring. He groaned when he saw it was Sheldon and assumed he was calling to complain about the forgotten hot mustard.

"Sheldon I'm on my way back now I'll pick up the hot mustard sauce…." he told him impatiently

"Leonard there's reporters outside our building" Sheldon said sounding flustered "Apparently they're looking for you…"

"Oh God" Leonard breathed

"What should I do Leonard?" Sheldon demanded

"Don't do anything and _don't say anything_ just stay in the apartment ok?" Leonard answered as she took the final stair reaching the lobby only to be greeted by blinding camera flashes. Turning on his heels he dashed back up to the first floor landing and dialled Alex's number.

"Alex we have a problem…."

In the end the filming schedule for the movie over ran and the three months that had originally been predicted turned into four. Filming was now complete and the cast and crew were due to return home in a couple of days and with the final few days in Paris upon them Brett had hired Club Silencio to throw an end of filming party for all the cast and crew.

"Have I told you how sexy you look tonight?" Brett whispered into Penny's ear as he took advantage of the slit in her black dress and ran his hand up her silky smooth leg towards her thigh.

"You might have mentioned it once or twice…" Penny whispered back nuzzling closer to her now boyfriend

They were currently riding in the back of Brett's Mercedes on route to the post-filming party. Penny had to admit that Brett looked dashingly handsome in his tuxedo and the sensation of him delicately stroking her thighs was getting her into a state of arousal.

"Brett please stop it" she giggled swatting him away playfully

"Why don't we blow off this party and go back to the hotel for our own private party?..." he suggested allowing his finger to wander down from stroking her face to her exposed bosom. For the last month Penny had been sharing a suite at the Ritz with Brett.

"Aren't you the guest of honour?" Penny commented with a smile "People will be disappointed if you don't show up…"

"Ok ok maybe you got me there" Brett conceded "But we are definitely leaving early I have a surprise lined up for you young lady…"

Before Penny could open her mouth to press Brett for a clue as the surprise he had in store the car had pulled to a stop outside the club entrance and a doorman was opening the door. They emerged onto a red carpet to be greeted by reporters and photographers, by now it was something which Penny had learnt to take completely in her stride. Hand in hand they entered the club ignoring the shouted questions about an impending engagement. Once inside Brett disappeared to talk with some movie execs that he had invited to the party, he was already thinking ahead to his next movie project. Un phased by having to go solo Penny helped herself to a glass of champagne and immediately relaxed into the party; talking with ease to the array of celebrity guests.

"Tell them about the time you were in a haemorrhoid commercial Penny" Cleo urged stifling champagne induced giggle "Pleaaasse Penny its sooo funny…"

Penny and Cleo were currently engaged in conversation with some of the guys from the camera crew.

"Oh it was a long time ago" Penny said shooting Cleo an angry glare regretting that she had shared that particular episode in her acting career with her co-star.

"What was your joke again?" Cleo persisted

Penny sighed obviously there was to be no let up from the actress who was probably the biggest blabbermouth in Hollywood.

"Oh go on tell us Penny" one of the cameramen joined in

Penny rolled her eyes and started to explain how the commercial had featured her and an actress playing her mother going out horse riding together. A few minutes later she reached the supposed punch line.

"And then my line was…. _"Sitting Pretty"_

With that everyone around the table fell about laughing while Penny sipped on her champagne she had been very proud of it at the time, but now it was more than a little embarrassing. Feeling a light tap on her shoulder Penny turned around to see Brett for the first time since arriving.

"Hi sweetheart I'm really sorry I abandoned you I had to go talk business for a while" he said softly kissing Penny's hand

"No problem I've had fun" she answered

Brett lowered his head down so that he could whisper into Penny's ear without the others hearing.

"It's time for your surprise" he said

Taking Penny by the hand he led her outside into the street to his waiting car.

"Where are we going?" Penny asked as the driver opened the car door and Brett guided her into the back seat.

"If I told you it wouldn't be a surprise now would it?"

From his pocket Brett produced a silk scarf which he proceeded to tie around Penny's head covering her eyes and plunging her into complete darkness.

"Brett what's going on?" Penny demanded feeling slightly unnerved by feeling the motion of the car but not being able to see where she was going.

"You're just gonna have to trust me honey.."

Penny felt Brett press his lips to hers and instinctively she reached up to touch the side of his face as she fell deeper into his embrace. Feeling the car come to a halt a short while later Brett pulled away.

"Are we there?" Penny asked breathlessly

"We're here"

It took a few seconds for Penny's eyes to adjust to her surroundings after Brett loosened the scarf form around her eyes. Peering out the car window she saw that the car had parked a short distance away from the Eiffel Tower all lit up with its searchlight circling the night sky.

"So tell me Penny" Brett began "How can somebody spend almost four months in Paris and not go up the Eiffel Tower?"

Penny shrugged

"I guess I just didn't get round to it…" she answered

"Ok well tonight we're gonna put that right" Brett said grasping Penny's hand they clambered out of the car and out into the cool night air.

"But it's gone midnight" Penny pointed out "Surely it will be closed by now…"

"Maybe…maybe not let's see"

Brett led Penny towards the entrance to the tower where an official looking man in a suit stood waiting holding a cashmere shawl over one arm.

"Bon soir Monsieur Harrison et Mademoiselle" he said welcoming his special guests

"Bon soir Philippe" Brett responded shaking the man by his hand

"So you are ready to go up le Tour Eiffel for the first time Mademoiselle?" Philippe asked directing his question towards Penny

Penny laughed nervously as Brett's big surprise was finally revealed.

"Oh I don't think I'm dressed for the occasion" she responded motioning at her slinky evening dress and high heel shoes.

"Pas de problem we have elevator take you right to the top" Philippe pointed upwards Penny followed his finger gazing up into the immense metal structure jutting into the night sky.

"Wow that's high" she exclaimed it was impossible to appreciate its enormity until you were close up.

"And I came prepared for the occasion" Brett added taking the shawl from Philippe and placing it over Penny's bare shoulders. Seeing the worried frown Penny was now wearing doubt began to creep in and Brett wondered whether his surprise was a good idea after all.

"What is it sweetheart?" he asked gently

"I'm scared of heights" Penny answered feeling a mix of embarrassment tinged with real fear "It's kinda like my big secret that nobody else knows…"

"Oh honey I'm sorry I had no idea" Brett apologised

"Its ok you couldn't have known…like I said nobody else knows.." Penny's voice trailed off and she lowered her head in defeat. Brett sighed his plan to dazzle Penny with a big romantic gesture had seemingly gone drastically wrong. Taking out his wallet he paid Philippe and thanked him for his time.

"No wait!" Penny cried "I think I wanna do this…"

"Are you sure honey because…"

"I'm sure" Penny cut Brett off midsentence "We have to try and conquer our fears right?"

Penny gripped the handrail so tightly in the elevator as it ascended the tower it made her knuckles turn white. At that moment at least she was unable to focus on anything other than Brett who was holding her from behind resting his chin on her shoulder and whispering words of encouragement. The elevator came to a stop and they stepped out at the top to be greeted by a spectacular panoramic view of Paris by night. Immediately Brett made a beeline to the railing while Penny hung back preferring to keep her distance from the edge.

"Its breath taking isn't it?" Brett remarked

"Uh huh it sure is impressive" Penny responded wrapping her shawl tightly around herself as a gust of cold wind blew.

"Here take my hand" Brett held out his hand and beckoned Penny towards him "I promise you'll be fine"

Slowly Penny edged towards Brett stopping every now and then when she felt giddy to take a deep breath.

"Good girl see you did it" Brett said proudly as Penny finally grabbed hold of the rail and let out a sigh of relief.

"You're never to tell anyone about this…" she warned wagging her finger at Brett

"Sure I promise sweetheart…pinky swear" he grinned

Penny turned her attention to the magnificent view and with her fear of heights now apparently conquered grabbed her cell phone from her purse so that she could take some photographs of the experience.

"Wow it really is beautiful" Penny breathed pleased that she had managed to pluck up the courage to go up to the top "Brett look I think I can see the apartment building I stayed in…"

Spinning around Penny saw that Brett was no longer stood beside her, it took her a few seconds to realise that he was now down on the ground perched on one knee.

"Penny" Brett cleared his throat

Seeing the gleaming solitaire diamond ring in the box that he was holding Penny gasped clasping her hand over her mouth in sudden realisation of what was about to happen.

"These last few months have been the most wonderful of my whole life and its all because of you…you make me so happy Penny and I'd really like the chance to make you happy too….for the rest of our lives in fact …Penny I love you will you marry me?..."


	13. Chapter 13

**Firstly I would like to thank all of you that have taken the time to read and review my story so far. I very much appreciate your feedback both positive and negative. I just thought I would take this opportunity to try and address a few of the recent comments/questions relating to the story that have been posted. Some of you have expressed concern at the fact that the story largely features the characters of Penny and Brett leaving poor Leonard heartbroken back home. It was always my intention for the majority of the story to be about the lead up to the incident that occurs in chapter one, although admittedly I didn't anticipate that it would take quiet this long! Please be assured that all will revealed, although there will probably be a few chapters taking place during the time following Penny's return to the U.S before the story reaches the present. For those of you who choose to persevere with the story thank you for your patience!**

**The other point which had been raised is in relation to Penny's lack of communication with friends/family back home. I guess understanding her lack of communication with Leonard is easier as he was after all the one who ended their relationship in Paris. The question however regarding her family/friends particularly Amy and Bernadette is I will admit a little more difficult to fathom. All I can really say is that Penny is heartbroken although she has been doing a good job to hide it and is not herself at all. I will try and deal with the issue of communication in the forthcoming chapter. Anyway, just to reiterate thank you again for your support. It's nice to be part of a group that has such fondness for the BBT characters as do I.**

Penny didn't agree to marry Brett that night. The proposal at the top of the Eiffel Tower was absolutely the stuff of romantic dreams, but for Penny it was a shock that despite the media speculation had come completely out of the blue. They had after all only been dating for a couple of months.

"I think I wanna go back down now" Penny breathed lost for words to say to the man that was down on one knee before her holding a ring with the largest diamond she had ever seen.

Brett lowered his head as he realised that Penny wasn't going to accept his proposal and that his plans had fallen totally flat. Before Penny could speak again she heard the sound of a champagne cork popping and a waiter appeared with two champagne flutes on a silver tray. Seeing the waiter Brett groaned it had been his intention for them both to toast their engagement in the champagne bar at the top of the tower.

"Pas maintenant!" Brett said gruffly shooing the bewildered looking waiter away with a wave of his hand

Penny and Brett rode in the elevator and in the car back to the hotel in frosty silence. Back in their suite at the Ritz Penny kicked off her shoes that were now making her feet throb and announced that she was going to bed. Brett helped himself to a whiskey swilling the ice around in the bottom of his glass making a clinking sound before downing it in one swift gulp.

"I'm sorry Brett" Penny said sincerely pausing momentarily on her way to the bedroom

Brett responded with a grunt, his ego had taken a serious bruising and he was not yet ready to talk. That night Brett didn't come to bed and Penny awoke at 5am after a night of strange and disturbing dreams to find his side of the bed empty. In one dream she was immersed in complete darkness hearing Leonard's voice but unable to move or speak. Picking up the phone beside the bed she keyed in the dialling code for the US followed by Leonard's apartment number. After a couple of rings Penny heard a voice say hello as the call was answered.

"Erm..hi..who is this?" Penny asked nervously

"Its Alex" came the reply

"Oh I er….I want to speak with Leonard please" Penny stammered

"Leonard's getting changed we're just about to go out" she answered "Can I take a message or have him call you back?"

Alex, Sheldon, Leonard and Raj were on the way to a physics lecture being given by an eminent visiting professor at the university. In an instant all the determination and courage that had driven Penny to pick up the phone in the first place disappeared and she slammed the phone down.

"Dammit!" she cursed under her breath and proceeded to pound her fists on the pillow in complete frustration.

Tossing back the bed sheets Penny hurriedly got dressed into her sweatpants and sneakers and headed out for a run. The dawn was breaking over Paris as she ran mile after mile eventually finding herself in the Champ de Mars Park in the very spot where Leonard had ended their relationship. Flopping down with exhaustion onto the bench Penny took out her cell phone and scrolled through her contacts to find Bernadette's number. It was now 7am in Paris therefor owing to the time difference it would be 10pm in Pasadena.

"Hello?" Penny heard Bernadette say

"Hi Bernadette its Penny…how are you? I'm sorry I haven't called before…"

For weeks after the breakup Penny had gone into her shell and had quiet deliberately absented herself from everyone back home. She knew she had a lot of explaining to do and wasn't really sure where to start, but one thing was certain was that she needed her friends now more than ever. Penny paused she could hear the sound of Bernadette breathing heavily at the other end of the line.

"I don't think I wanna speak with you Penny.." Bernadette said tersely

Shocked by what she had just heard Penny began to apologise again for not being in touch.

"I know Leonard and I aren't together anymore…. but that shouldn't stop us being friends right?" she said seeking assurance "I'm sorry I haven't called things have been real difficult for me .."

"Difficult for you?" Bernadette snapped infuriated by Penny's apparent self-pity "Yeah it must be_ real_ difficult dining at expensive restaurants…being showered with expensive gifts from movie directors…"

Her relationship with Brett was certainly no secret anymore having been splashed across the front cover of just about every magazine and newspaper in circulation. Penny guessed that Bernadette was annoyed that she had moved on from Leonard so quickly, but in truth she had never felt so confused and alone in her entire life. She longed for Leonard to call her to tell her that he wasn't in love with Alex and that it has been a mistake to break up with her.

"Bernadette please at least let me tell you my side of the story…" Penny pleaded

"I don't want to hear it Penny go play with your _new_ friends"

"Bernadette…."

And with that it seemed that all was lost. Leonard, Bernadette and no doubt all her other friends too had seemingly turned against her. The phone line went dead and Penny hung her head in sorrow hearing the words of the flower seller on the day that Leonard disappeared from her life.

"_You should love this man always Mademoiselle tu comprends?"_

But it was too late. Leonard was gone and Penny had a life that was unrecognisable from the one she had left behind in Pasadena. Leonard and her were now not just oceans apart but worlds apart.

"Maybe it is time to move on" Penny thought to herself as she watched a flock of birds nearby rise from the ground and flyaway.

It took Penny a long time to regain her composure and gather her thoughts before she was able to return to the hotel having finally reached a decision. Bounding into the suite she found Brett sulking over his breakfast.

"Good morning" Penny chirped with a smile

Failing to acknowledge Penny's greeting Brett pretended to be engrossed in reading his newspaper. Unperturbed by being ignored Penny pulled up a chair and helped herself to a croissant.

"So you still wanna get married?" she asked speaking with a mouthful of croissant

Hearing these words Brett raised his head

"What?" he questioned

"Well I went for a run this morning to clear my head…" Penny began "And I figured why not….mmm these are really good" she added pointed at the half eaten croissant in her hand.

"So you're saying that you_ do_ want to marry me now?" Brett said raising his eyebrows seeking clarification.

"Uh huh" Penny answered as she popped the remaining piece of croissant into her mouth and swallowed it.

"Oh sweetheart that's wonderful news!" Brett reached across the table to grab Penny's left hand "But why the change of heart?"

Penny shrugged deep down she knew why, but it wasn't something that she could share with him.

"I guess I just love you" she answered casually

These were the words that Brett had been waiting to hear since the moment he had set eyes on her in the Cheesecake Factory. He had finally succeeding in winning Penny for himself. The following day Brett left the hotel before breakfast while Penny set about packing for the flight home that evening.

"Ok I think that's it" she announced as she closed the final suitcase and clapped her hands together it has taken her all morning and Brett had only just returned from whatever business it was that had taken him away.

"Are you hungry honey? Shall I order something for lunch?" Penny offered as Brett slipped off his jacket.

"Actually sweetheart can we talk please?" Brett said patting the empty space on the couch beside him

"What is it?" Penny asked feeling slightly uneasy

Brett coughed and cleared his throat

"How would you feel about getting married here in Paris?" he asked brushing a stray strand of Penny's hair away from her face

"What you mean like fly back next summer and…"

Brett was already shaking his head Penny stopped clearly that was not what he had in mind.

"No I mean what if we were to get married here in Paris by the end of this week?"

"Oh you can't be serious sweetie.." Penny responded giggling at first but then her jaw dropped as she looked into Brett's eyes and realised that he was serious.

"I'm deadly serious" Brett answered and took hold of Penny's hand "Listen sweetheart I know you probably had your heart set on a big wedding back home with all your family and friends, but this will be my fourth marriage and believe me _if _we get married back in the States the whole thing will just turn into one big media circus…"

Penny felt her heart sink. Brett was right she had always envisioned her wedding day being a big affair with all her family and friends in attendance. Thinking of her friends once more Penny felt a pang of sadness she could be certain that they would not be at her wedding regardless of whether it took place at home or in France.

"I know it's sudden…but the way I figure it if we love each other it doesn't matter whether we get married now or in six months…" he reasoned

Penny bit down on her lower lip

"I promise sweetheart I will make it up to you with the honeymoon.. We can go to any place you want…" Brett coaxed gently squeezing Penny's hand

Freeing herself from Brett's hand Penny stood up and wandered over to the window, pulled back the drapes and looked out onto the view of the Place Vendôme below.

"This is all happening so fast Brett…" she said

"I know darling but you love me right?"

"Sure" Penny answered somewhat unconvincingly although Brett chose to ignore the lack of conviction and continue with his quest to persuade her into getting married.

"Well then why not? I can't tell you how much it would mean to me to get married here in the most romantic city in the world….just the two of us no media no prying eyes…so what do you say Penny will you marry me this Friday?"

This time Penny didn't keep Brett waiting for an answer. That afternoon they cancelled their flight back to the States and went out to dine at Le Jules Verne restaurant on the Eiffel Tower; it somehow seemed fitting given that it was where Brett had proposed only two days before. That night Penny stayed awake until the early hours browsing the Internet for bridal gowns and the follow morning took a taxi to Oscar de la Renta's store. Standing in the store with the train of an exquisite Ivory tulle strapless gown flowing behind her Penny's eyes filled with tears. Seeing her reflection in the mirror the gown was more beautiful than any she could have ever imagined but instead of feeling overjoyed she felt sadness and longing. She wanted her Mom. Seeing her tears the store assistant handed her a tissue and smiled.

"Getting married is a very emotional time oui?" she said with a knowing smile

On the Thursday night with only hours to go before the wedding Penny called her parents to tell them of her plans to marry Brett ; unsurprising they were both shocked and concerned at the suddenness of her decision particularly her father Wyatt who all but pleaded with her to reconsider.

"Honey this is all so sudden…" Wyatt had said "We don't know anything about him…Why can't you at least come home so that your Mom and I can meet him before you get married?...Its so soon after Leonard darling are you sure this isn't just a rebound thing?..."

"Dad please I'm a big girl I know what I'm doing…Brett is so sweet and I love him…I just know we're gonna be really happy.." Penny insisted lying to both herself and to her father. She wasn't certain of anything anymore.

Brett and Penny were married at a nearby town hall in a brief and simple ceremony before being whisked by car back to the hotel for a reception with only the bride and groom in attendance. It was that night as they slow danced together in their suite for the first time as man and wife that Brett began to refer to Penny as Penelope. He had liked it when she had used it during the wedding ceremony and insisted on using it from now on.

"It sounds so much classier than Penny…" he had said somewhat callously

The current track on the iPod ended and _'The Way You Look Tonight"_ sang by Michael Bublé began to play. Penny's heart lurched as she was touched by the memory of her and Leonard dancing together on an evening together in her apartment not long before she had left for Paris. How things had changed.

"Brett I don't feel so good" Penny announced pulling herself away from her husband's clutches "I think I'm gonna go to bed now…"

"That sounds like a terrific plan Mrs. Harrison" Brett responded loosening his tie his lack of concern for being feeling unwell blindingly apparent.

In bed when Brett had made sexual advances towards her Penny found that she had no desire for him to make love to her.

"Oh come on it's our wedding night…" he had persisted pushing down the straps of her silk negligee

Not wanting to be accused of spoiling the wedding night Penny relented and endured what turned out to be rough and self-pleasing sex and for the first time in her entire life she faked her orgasm. When it was over Brett plonked a single kiss on Penny's cheek rolled over and fell asleep. Laying in darkness listening to her husband snore Penny felt alone and trapped. This was it now. This was her life.

It was mid-afternoon on Friday and Leonard was on his way to the university cafeteria for his afternoon caffeine fix. Entering into the cafeteria he saw a group of about a dozen people huddled together staring up at the plasma screen on the wall which permanently showed a 24-hour news station. A news anchorwoman sat behind a desk was currently speaking into the camera.

"I understand we can cross over live now to Paris…" she said

The camera switched to a news correspondent stood outside the Ritz hotel lit up at night.

"Thank you Becky I'm outside the Ritz hotel in Paris right now where sources have confirmed that today the Hollywood director Brett Harrison married the up and coming actress Penelope…."

The shock hit Leonard like an out of control mac truck. To make matters worse some of the people in the gathered crowd had noticed his presence and were now whispering and pointing in his direction.

"Leonard"

Leonard span around to see Alex behind him holding a tray with a plate of food. Her eyes shot up to the TV screen just in time to see a blurry photo of Penny and Brett in their wedding attire leaving the town hall.

"Oh my God Leonard I'm so sorry" she said in a half whisper "Are you ok?"

It was dumb question. The look of shock on Leonard's face told her that he was anything but ok.

"I have to get out of here…" Leonard breathed "Tell Sheldon I've gone…"

"Where are…." Alex began to ask but Leonard had already turned abruptly and bolted from the cafeteria. Slamming her lunch tray down on a table Alex glared angrily at the gathered crowd who had now turned their attention onto her.

"You all should be ashamed of yourselves!" she yelled


	14. Chapter 14

**WARNING: contains references to domestic violence.**

**One year later…**

In the year that followed Penny's acting career took off in a big way. Upon her return to the states she had several offers of acting jobs, eventually taking a part in a new TV series. From then on her weekly appearances as Dr. Louise Buchanan the outspoken and unconventional ICU resident in a fast paced hospital drama dubbed _'the new ER' _made her an overnight sensation and one of America's best known TV actresses.

As for her marriage Penny was grateful that Brett's work frequently took him away from home for extended periods of time. The times he was at home however she lived in constant fear of a beating. The first time he had raised a hand to her had been while they were still on their honeymoon aboard a friend's yacht in the south of France. Without seeking Penny's permission or any prior discussion Brett had arranged for all her belongings to be moved from her apartment in Pasadena to his house in Beverly Hills. Penny had only discovered the plan when she overheard Brett making the arrangements over the phone and had rightfully challenged him. The result of standing up to her controlling husband had been a ferocious slap that had left her cheek red and swollen for days. She had of course forgiven him but only because he had sworn that it would never happen again. Now a year on Penny was to afraid to confide in anyone and had discovered that it was best to endure her husband's violent outbursts without fighting back. As time went by Penny had become adept at disguising her bruises with makeup and clothing and at inventing stories about slipping in the bath tub or accidently walking into a door. Each beating was always followed by apologies and Brett pleading for forgiveness and promises that it would never happen again. That was at least until the next time. For a while after Brett would seemingly become a loving and attentive husband attending to Penny's cuts and bruises and on a number of occasions driving her to the emergency room with carefully rehearsed stories of clumsy accidents. On one occasion an ER nurse had tried to get Penny to admit that her injuries were non-accidental. Penny had flatly refused. She felt so ashamed. By now Brett's apologies sounded like a cracked record and the gifts that he brought to assuage his guilt were tainted with the memory of each beating that had preceded them. On one occasion a few months after they were married while Brett was away filming on location, Penny had taken advantage of his absence to drive to Pasadena to try and make amends with her friends only to find them not at home in the apartment. Driving back she had passed the Cheesecake Factory and has spotted Leonard's car in the parking lot. Disguising herself with sunglasses and a silk head scarf Penny had pulled into the parking lot and headed into the restaurant to be greeted with what had once been the familiar sight of her best friends hanging out together. That night the Cheesecake Factory was hosting a karaoke evening and Howard and Bernadette were on stage singing _'I got you babe'_ while Leonard, Sheldon and Amy watched from stools at the bar. Before Penny could go in Alex emerged from the bathroom and sat down beside Leonard. Leonard said something to her with a concerned expression and placed his hand on her back. There was no way that Penny could have known at the time, but Alex had just returned from attending her Granma's funeral in Iowa. The karaoke evening had been Leonard's idea to try and cheer her up. At that stage they were still only just friends. Needless to say Penny left without her friends ever knowing that she had been there. Upon his return Brett found out about Penny's trip to Pasadena by going through her mail and discovering the speeding ticket that she had picked up whilst driving back. He had threatened her and forced her into promising that she would never to go back or contact her friends again. As such that was the first and only time Penny ever did.

As for Leonard the year that had passed had undoubtedly been one of the saddest and painful of his entire life. More than one year on after the breakup he was at least starting to feel more like his old self again and although he still thought of Penny on a daily basis, the pain was no longer as raw and slowly he was beginning to enjoy life once again. With Penny so heavily in the public eye it was however difficult if not impossible to omit her completely from his life. It seemed that not one week would go by without her appearing on a TV chat show or on the cover of a magazine or billboard. One evening Leonard and Sheldon had switched on the TV to find her appearing on the Muppet Show alongside Kermit the Frog and Miss Piggy. There she was in her white physicians coat holding a stethoscope to a bashful Kermit's chest while Miss Piggy crossed her arms and stuck her nose in the air irritated by the attention that Penny was bestowing on her 'Kermie'. Seeing this Leonard couldn't help but raise a smile and a chuckle the sketch was very funny indeed. There was no doubt Penny seemed to be extraordinarily talented in everything she turned her hand to. Things had also moved on with Alex. A week ago on a rare Sheldon free day at work they had shared a kiss in Leonard's car. Finally at last the future didn't seem so grim after all. Little did Leonard know but his life was once again about to be turned upside down….

It was a warm Saturday morning in the fall and Amy and Bernadette had gone out shopping for Halloween costumes at the Glendale Galleria. Amy was in midst of telling Bernadette of her cunning plan to get Sheldon to agree to her choice of couples costume when Bernadette stopped abruptly outside the bookstore.

"Oh my God look who it is" she exclaimed pointing through the window at the crowds of people waiting patiently in line. There towards the back of the store seated at a table surrounded by copies of the same book and cardboard cut-out standees of her alter ego Dr. Louise Buchanan was Penny.

"Looks like it's a signing for her book" Amy said staring though the glass at the beautiful blond woman that she had once classed as her best friend.

Bernadette narrowed her eyes and scowled

"Boy would I like to go tell her a thing or two!" she seethed "Look at her she really thinks she's it"

They watched as Penny rose from her seat and smiled sweetly for a photo with an elderly couple that had just purchased a copy of her book.

"No doubt she has security.." Amy mused

Before she could finish her sentence Bernadette was storming towards the entrance of the store.

"Excuse me!" Bernadette ordered barging her way through the crowd clearing a path towards the table.

"Hey lady there's a queue here!" an angry voice called out.

Hearing the commotion Penny looked up her face breaking into a smile.

"Bernadette…Amy oh my God it's so good to see you both.." she beamed

"We're not here for your lousy book Penny" Bernadette said quick to dismiss any notion that they were fans of her work "I'm here to say how could you? How could you do that to Leonard?!"

Penny opened her mouth to speak only to be interrupted by Bernadette who launched into another angry tirade.

"Leonard loved you and you cheated on him….and then you didn't have the decency to tell him to his face…what kinda coward tells there boyfriend that they're sleeping with another man via email!...then returning the locket that he gave you…it broke his heart!" Bernadette yelled with tears glistening in her eyes.

As far as Bernadette was concerned Penny had not only betrayed Leonard but had betrayed them all. For Penny it seemed to make no sense. She hadn't cheated on Leonard, what email was Bernadette referring to? She had never returned the locket it had gone missing….

"Bernadette I…" Penny tried to speak but found that she was too stunned to formulate a coherent sentence

Just then two burly looking security guards entered the store on a mission to apprehend Bernadette and Amy.

"Ok ladies that's enough..You're coming with us!" one said as they dragged the two friends out of the store and back out into the mall. The store manager approached the table to try and restore some calm and order to the situation.

"I'm so sorry about that Mrs Harrison are you ok?" he asked and suggested that she take a break for a few minutes. Penny stood up and leant on the back of the chair to steady herself no longer able to catch her breath or aware of the queuing fans staring intently at her.

"I have to get out of here…" she whispered

With Bernadette's words ringing in her ears Penny grabbed her purse and bolted from the store colliding with and knocking over a cardboard cut-out standee of herself as she went. Consumed in confused and angry thoughts she drove recklessly in her metallic silver Porsche weaving in and out of the lanes of traffic on the freeway with the sound of car horns blaring all around. By now everything was starting to fall into place like pieces of a jigsaw puzzle. What Bernadette had said was all down to Brett. It had to be.

Arriving back home Penny parked her car and dashed inside to be greeted by Maria the housekeeper passing through the hall holding a laundry basket. Fumbling inside her purse Penny pulled out a hundred dollar bill and offered it to Maria insisting that she go home for the day. Maria stared wide eyed at the money in her hand concerned that she was being fired for some unbeknownst wrongdoing. It was nothing of the sort, Penny's only motive was to get Maria out of the house so that she could pack up her belongings. This was it she was finally going to leave Brett.

"Are you firing me Mrs Harrison?" she asked noticing that the lady of the house appeared extremely agitated.

"No not at all…" Penny answered "Please Maria just take the money and go home…buy something nice for your kids…"

With a bewildered expression Maria nodded, slipped on her coat and left. As soon as she was alone in the house Penny headed upstairs threw her suitcase on the bed and set about cramming it full with clothes and other personal items.

"What do you think you're doing?"

The sudden and unexpected sound of Brett's voice startled Penny causing her to drop the picture frame she was holding shattering the glass. She hadn't been expecting Brett home until evening.

"What does it look like Brett?" Penny answered sarcastically trying to hide the fact that she was terrified of the man stood watching her from the bedroom doorway.

"It looks to me like you're going somewhere Penelope…so my question would be _where_ are you going?"

Penny snapped the suitcase shut and dragged it off the bed struggling under its heavy weight.

"I'm leaving you Brett…just as soon as I find Alfred I'm out of here! Oh and if I were you I'd check the mail for a letter from my lawyer…I'm filing for divorce!"

Ignoring everything Penny had just said about leaving and filing for divorce Brett opted to focus on Penny's mention of her missing dog.

"Oh yeah Alfred that snarly little mutt that you keep as a pet I wonder where he could be…" Brett said with a tormenting smile. It was no secret that Brett despised Penny's chocolate Labrador who would growl and bark whenever Brett came near and regretted buying him as a wedding gift for Penny.

"Where is he Brett?" Penny cried in desperation "Where's my dog?...where's Alfred?"

By now she knew her husband's cruel and sadistic mind only to well, clearly he was insinuating that Alfred had come to some kind of harm.

"I'm sure you'll find out in time…" Brett answered grabbing hold of Penny's wrist tightly "Let's just say I don't think he'll be snarling at me again…"

"You son of a bitch!" Penny screamed

Managing to tear herself away from her husband's vicelike grip she raced out of the bedroom and down the hall towards the stairs.

"Penelope I'm warning you get back here!"

Brett chased after Penny catching hold of her just before she made the top of the flight of marble stairs that led down to the hall.

"I know everything Brett…" she screamed "I know what you did in Paris….you sent an email to Leonard pretending to be me didn't you?...and my locket you took it from my apartment and mailed it back to him…"

"I did no such thing sweetheart" Brett insisted "You're obviously upset and confused please let's go downstairs and talk about this?..."

Penny was anything but confused. In fact for the first time in a year she was seeing everything with absolute clarity. Their entire relationship had been built on lies and deceit.

"Get off me!" Penny yelled frantically yanking herself away and in doing so stepping backwards.

Penny let out a piercing scream that echoed throughout the house as she fell onto the stairs hitting her head on the first step with unforgiving force knocking herself unconscious. Brett watched in horror as her body rolled over and over finally coming to rest in a broken and crumpled heap in the downstairs hall. For a few seconds he stood and stared down at her believing that in all probability the fall had killed her.

"Oh my God…Oh my God.." he cried to himself as he descended the stairs three at a time stumbling towards the bottom and falling down beside her.

"Penelope sweetheart can you hear me? Penelope please open your eyes honey.." Brett begged crouching down beside his wife.

It didn't take for Brett's calculating mind to figure out that Penny's accident had far reaching implications for him. He hadn't pushed her but given the situation in an ensuing police investigation he was bound to come under suspicion. Clambering to his feet he raced back upstairs to the bedroom closet and fetched a pair of Penny's high heel shoes. Carefully removing her pair of flat shoes he replaced one foot with a high heel and with the other snapped the heel and tossed it up onto the stairs. Now it would appear that her heel had broken causing her to slip and fall. Ironically it was the very pair of shoes that Brett had brought her in Paris after she had broken her heel on the nightclub steps. Taking out his cell phone he dialled 911.

"Please help me…it's my wife she's had an accident…she's fallen down the stairs at our home"

The operator at the other end of the line responded calmly to tell him that paramedics were on their way.

"Is your wife breathing sir?" she then went onto ask

"Barely" Brett answered Penny's breathing was raspy and shallow "Please please hurry" he begged despite everything the thought of losing Penny devastated him.

At that moment Penny's dog Alfred came padding into the hall with his favourite ball in his mouth. Dropping the ball he growled at Brett and then whined at his mistress lying on the floor. Gently he nuzzled her arm hoping to wake her to play ball with him as she did on most days.

"Stay with me sweetheart…please stay with me…" Brett repeated again and again as he waited anxiously for help to arrive.

"Sheldon I have something to tell you….I'm going out tonight on a date"

It was Saturday evening and Leonard was straightening his tie in front of the mirror in the living room while Sheldon neatly folded his t-shirts and placed them into a laundry basket.

"Well I guess if I were either Wolowitz or Koothrappali I would be patting you on the back and congratulating you for finally getting back on the horse…..but as its me you're telling I can't help but wonder why on earth you'd want to put yourself through all that again…"

"Well this time's it gonna be different….Alex is nothing like Penny" Leonard sighed and paused to receive Sheldon's inevitable reaction.

"Oh now you didn't say it was Alex…I'm afraid I can't permit you to date my assistant Leonard" he began setting the laundry basket down and folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't need your permission Sheldon…. its my life and I will date whomever I chose" Leonard responded with rehearsed conviction as he grabbed his keys from the bowl and headed out denying Sheldon any further opportunity to protest.

Feeling so much happier and relaxed than he had in a long time Leonard whistled to himself as he descended the stairs and out into the parking lot. He had just switched on the radio and was about to turn the key in the ignition when a news bulletin caught his attention.

"_We are hearing reports that earlier today paramedics were called to the home of Penelope Harrison star of the TV medical drama 'ICU'…we understand that she was taken by ambulance to Cedars-Sinai and although unconfirmed at this stage there are reports that she is in a critical condition… "_

In an instant Leonard's plan to drive over to Alex's for their dinner date was abandoned. Starting the engine he threw his car into drive and steered the car out of the parking lot on route to Beverley Hills..


End file.
